Mark Teixeira: 'Last Year, We Weren't The Yankees'
TAMPA, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mark Teixeira is forecasting a bounce-back year for the Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees' first baseman said he views the team's down year in 2013 as an aberration. In his mind, an offseason spending spree transformed his team.
"You look at our lineup, we're back to being the Yankees again," Teixeira said. "Last year, we weren't the Yankees."
Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran were signed to fortify a batting order that dropped from a team-record 245 homers in 2012 to an un-Bronx Bomber-like 144 last year, the largest falloff in baseball history for a nonstrike season. Teixeira and Derek Jeter hope they've healed from injuries that limited them to a combined 32 games.
Teixeira started workouts Sunday -- four days ahead of the other position players. He fielded grounders at first base, took 53 swings off a tee and 43 more in batting practice in his first outdoor workout since surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
