When the Texas Rangers selected Mark Teixiera with their fifth pick in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft, they arguably landed a future Hall of Famer.
In his first season with the Rangers, Teixiera was an immediate success, hitting 26 home runs, playing stellar defense, and finishing fifth in the ROY voting.
Over four full seasons with Texas, Teixiera averaged 35 home runs per year, collected two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers, and received one All-Star nod.
Now with the New York Yankees, Teixiera—despite eight-plus big league seasons under his belt—is still in the midst of his prime at just 31-years old.
He's a mere four home runs away from 300 for his career and is just shy of collecting his 1400th base hit.
If Tex can manage to stay healthy and productive enough to play until he's 40, his numbers could easily be good enough make him a "lock" for the HOF—especially considering that he never appeared on the Mitchell Report.
But the Rangers decision to let Tex go at the 2007 trade deadline might have been the best decision the team has ever made, and it was absolutely instrumental in getting Texas to last year's World Series, the first in the franchise's existence.
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