Big TECHs vs. Frenchie, who would you take??

As an avid Mets fan, I often contemplate during games which player on the opposing team I would least like to see with the bases loaded and the game on the line. Recently this situation came up, not exactly but close, during the Mets-Braves series over the weekend. At first thought names like Larry Jones (b/c that's his real name) and Jeff Francoeur come to mind but after watching Georgia Tech's own Mark Teixeira he is clearly enemy #1. The numbers back it up too, last season Teixeira had a .600 slugging percentage along with a .400 OBP. Larry is nipping right on Mark's heels, while in those stats Francoeur's numbers fall to the wayside. Most Braves fans wouldn't probably think these thoughts are crazy because Jeff is such a godly figure in the area, but it really makes sense when you analyze it at a further level. Frenchie came out of Parkview High as one of the most highly recruited athletes, not only in baseball, but also in football. Fans and Braves personnel couldn't wait to get him to the major league level and were just looking for a reason to. Because of this Jeff was more than willing to swing for a homer with every at bat, instead of playing an intelligent form of baseball that helps out the team in the long run. On the other side, Mark Teixeira, who played here at Tech, learned to play the game of baseball and played to win in his years on The Flats. Throughout the game, more examples of this selfish mentality of high school vs. college players. While most still agree that going right out of high school and facing professional baseball talent, along with learning to swing a wood bat early is a must to make it into the majors, think about who you think is a better asset to the team. Forever will there be a stigma on players who opt for the college experience instead of jumping straight into the minors, but should their really be when a case can be made that three years of school against possibly lower talent is more beneficial to someone as a team player? Next time you're at a game of your favorite team think about who you'd like to have up there with the game on the line, and why? Then check out their bio, and see if they spent that extra year for calculus class or opted straight for the business of baseball, you might be surprised.

~Jason Boral