Mark Teixeira Reportedly Set To Retire After Season

New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira will announce his retirement Friday, according to ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney.

The Yankees have called for a 3 p.m. press conference Friday regarding Texeira, where he is expected to reveal his plans to hang up his spikes after the 2016 season, though no further specifics for the presser were offered by New York’s front office.

Report: Mark Teixeira Set To Retire After Season

Teixeira, 36, is hitting .198 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs through 77 games in the final season of his eight-year, $180 million contract signed in December 2008.

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Over a 14-year career, the Yankees first baseman has a .269 batting average, hitting 404 home runs and driving in 1231 runs. Teixeira began his career with the Texas Rangers, making his debut on opening day of 2003.

He has played for the Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Yankees.

Once thought to be on a path to a Hall of Fame career, Teixeira averaged 34 homers and 111 RBIs over his first five seasons in the big leagues.

Arguably, his best season came in 2005, in Texas, when Teixeira batted .301 and clubbed 44 home runs with 144 RBIs. He finished 2nd in the MVP voting in 2009, batting .292 with 39 homers and 122 RBIs, en route to a World Series title.

Despite his prowess at the plate, Teixeira is regarded as one of the best defensive first baseman of his generation, winning five gold gloves in his career to go with three All-Star appearances.

The soon-to-be retiree was caught up in a bit of controversy this week as the Yanks were entangled in a four-game, home and home subway series with the New York Mets.

On Wednesday, Teixeira homered off Mets starter Steven Matz in the second inning, then was hit in the shin by a Matz pitch in the fifth, prompting some jawing between the two.

“I like Steven, that’s why I was like, “Are you kidding me? You’re going to do that?” If it was on purpose, it’s uncalled for. If it wasn’t, it just looked really bad given the situation.”

Then, after Teixeira reached via walk in the seventh, Mets reliever Hansel Robles began arguing with the Yankees slugger, accusing him of stealing signs.

Teixeira responded by mocking Robles, making hand gestures and touching his face as if he were offering signs.

“That was funny,” Teixeira said of the altercation with Robles. “You know, after three or four pitches, I realize that he’s like staring at me and thinks I have his signs, staring me down and saying something— I couldn’t hear him because of the crowd, so I just started having some fun with him.”

Yankees manager Joe Girardi held Teixeira out of the lineup Thursday after saying his first baseman’s shin was “a little sore.”

There’s no word yet on whether he will be in the lineup tonight when his club hosts the first place Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium.

Teixeira is one of five switch hitters in MLB history to hit 400 home runs and he is the ninth player to ever hit 400 homers and win five gold gloves.

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Six of those players are already in Cooperstown.

Andruw Jones will not be eligible until 2018 and Barry Bonds may never be voted in.

Article by Kevin Xavier