Mark Tex-Share-A the Homers

Of the four major sports, it is popularly believed that baseball is the most individual of all. It is also believed, however, that one single player cannot make an entire team better. For example, in basketball, Lebron James is said to be the best layer in the league because of his ability to take his entire team up a notch. Mo Williams has been one of the best scorers in the league for Cavs this year because of Lebron's ability to create opportunities for him. In football, Tom Brady's pin point accuracy and football IQ made the Patriots entire offense that much more productive. In baseball, however, it's widely accepted that one player can only do what he can do, and doesn't have much of an impact on the rest of his team. To this, I say "Nay!" A baseball line-up is much more than nine individual players looking to pad their stats each night. It is a living, breathing organism which works as one to manufacture as many runs as possible. One phenomenal player's abilities go far beyond his own stats. Hall-of-Fame caliber players can impact an entire game, even when they're not at the plate. Upon deep review of the following case studies lurk the wonderful strategy and mystique of this thinking man's sport.

Two case studies in particular prove the impact that one player can have on an entire line-up. Mark Teixeira struggled early this season, but upon the arrival of Alex Rodriguez, he has turned into one of the best players in the league. Through the first 25 games while Rodriguez was on the Disabled List, Teixeira hit a measly .192. This is incredibly disappointing production from a player the Yankees invested $180 million in. However, Teixeira has been on a tear since Rodriguez's return, hitting .342 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. Rodriguez now hits clean-up in the order behind Teixeira at third, and although Rodriguez did not start the season on fire, his reputation still preceeds him. Opposing pitchers must be cognizant of Rodriguez's potential to hit the ball out of the stadium on any pitch, and thus, they cannot afford to pitch around Teixeira, risking a walk. Teixeira is seeing more fastballs and he's clearly taking advantage.

Still not convinced about the impact one player can have on a team? Admittedly, it was a given that Mark Teixeira was eventually going to turn it around. Let's put an entire career into perspective then. David Ortiz. To date, Big Papi has had an awful season. He's hitting .208, but most shockingly, he's yet to hit a home run. Is his offensive drought due to his age? No. While he may be beyond his prime, nobody could have expected his offensive production to decline this much. Did he stop taking steroids? Possibly, but testing has been in effect for the past four years, so there would have been no reason for him to stop now. The reason is one word: Manny. Since Manny Ramirez fled to Hollywood, Ortiz's safety blanket is gone. Kevin Youkilis now hits in the fourth spot for the Red Sox, and in his absence since his injury, Jason Bay has held that spot down. Youkilis and Bay are very good offensive players, but they don't instill fear in pitchers like Manny can.

Even as a young player, prior to Ortiz's arrival in Boston in 2003, Ortiz did not hit as well as he did with the Red Sox and Manny. From 1997-2002 with the Twins, Ortiz hit a home run in every 25.47 at bats. With the Red Sox from 2003-2008, he averaged one home run every 13.65 at bats. That's almost twice as often. That's not to mention baseball's most important intangible - clutch hitting. Ortiz was arguably the most clutch hitter in the game with the Red Sox for the past six years. I cringe thinking about how he smacked the Yankees around. Now, he's fallen off the radar. Things have gotten so bad for Ortiz that he just took an entire weekend series off. He's not hurt, he's just taking a break. This is unheard of for baseball's superstars, but Red Sox manager Terry Francona wanted to give Ortiz a chance to "clear his head."

Clearly, A-Rod and Manny are the two best hitters on the planet, and the proof is in the pudding. Their own offensive numbers are well documented. Both clobber the ball and get more extra base hits than Derek Jeter and John Mayer get Maxim Top 100 Women (albeit, just barely.) But the impact they have on their teammates cannot go unnoticed. The Yankees probably planned on getting about 50 home runs per season out of Rodriguez, but also knew they could tack on another ten dingers to whoever is hitting in front of him in the order. Justifying a $300 million salary to play a game is an impossible task, but in baseball terms, this argument does bring to light just how important Manny and A-Rod are, and ultimately adds to their legacy.