New York Yankees: All-time switch hitter team
By Ed Stein
Infield
First Base – Mark Teixeira was a dangerous hitter when he came to the Yankees in 2009. Over the next eight seasons, he put up some big numbers. Tex hit over 30 home runs in a season four times (led the American League with 39 in 2008). He also drove in 100 or more runs three times.
In a Yankees uniform, Teixeira played 958 games and had 206 homers, 622 RBI, .479 slugging percentage, .822 OPS, and 113 OPS+. His home run total places him 13th overall in Yankees history and fourth among first basemen.
Second Base – Horace Clarke will go down in New York Yankees history as a good player for some bad teams. A Bronx Bomber for 10 seasons, Clarke had 1,213 hits (sixth among second basemen) and 151 stolen bases (second). He wasn’t a power hitter or big on-base guy, but he hit a respectable .257 and finished second on the team to Roy White in 1969 with a .285 average.
Shortstop – We have the only representative of the legendary 1927 New York Yankees on this team, shortstop Mark Koenig. He hit second in the batting order that season and was a table-setter for the team’s fabled Murder’s Row. His range at short was fantastic, but he was prone to errors. Koenig won back-to-back World Championships (1927, 1928) with the Bombers before Leo Durocher replaced him.
Third Base – The hot corner is generally not a hot spot for switch hitters. This selection admittedly took a little work. In the end, Chase Headley gets the nod. He played three-and-a-half of his 12 MLB seasons with New York. Headley wasn’t spectacular, but he was steady. Over 501 games in pinstripes, Headley had 458 hits and a respectable slash line of .262/.339/.387/.727.
Subs – Roy Smalley Jr. only two and a half seasons for the team, primarily as the starting shortstop. A good athlete, Smalley, could be counted on to play anywhere in the infield when called upon by any of his five managers.
In 1961, Tom Tresh had a cup of coffee with the great Mantle/Roger Marris-led team that won 109 games. He must have liked the taste because Tresh was the 1962 American League Rookie of the Year. Although he came up as a shortstop, Tresh played five positions in his eight seasons as part of the New York Yankees and hit 20 or more home runs four times.