Baseball history is littered with players who began their careers on a Hall of Fame path before injuries or underperformance caught up with them. Former Atlanta Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira’s career didn’t really fizzle out, but injuries prevented him from reaching the high standard that he set for himself early on in his career. Teixeira played for four teams across a 14-year playing career. He will likely fall short of reaching the Hall of Fame, but still gave MLB and opposing pitchers quite a ride in most of those seasons.
Teixeira spurned the MLB Draft in 1998 (he was taken in the ninth round by the Red Sox, and has been outspoken since about his negative feelings about Boston’s practices ahead of the draft in pressuring him to agree to sign) and headed to Georgia Tech where as a third baseman, he became a two-time All-American while capturing the ACC’s Player of the Year Award.