Mark Teixeira did quite a bit for the Texas Rangers in his 4 1/2 years in Texas, but the most he ever did for the Rangers was bring back a huge bounty in the deal that sent him to Atlanta in 2007, most famously Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison.
But during his time in Texas, when he was often icy with the media and not real outgoing with fans, Teixeira became very close with Michael Young. Now a Yankee, Teixeira talked about his memories of Young to ESPN Dallas as the face of the Rangers franchise is set to announce his retirement on Friday afternoon in Arlington after playing 2013 away from Arlington — his only big-league season spent outside the Rangers organization.
"I didn’t know anything about the big leagues, and he helped me,” Teixeira told ESPN Dallas' Richard Durrett. “This was a guy who had to work his way up, had to earn everything that was given to him, and play the game the right way."
Even though Young had some bitter, public spats with the Rangers' front office late in his Rangers tenure due to position changes to make way for young guys, Teixeira said he believes his old teammate should be remembered fondly by Rangers fans and by the organization, and chances are, he will be.
"[He’s] one of the greatest Rangers of all time,” Teixeira said of the club's all-time hits leader. “A guy who may not have gotten the hype that some players do in Major League Baseball, but inside the game with his colleagues, he was as well respected as anyone in the game.”
