By Kevin Winter SportsTicker Staff Writer

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Somewhere down the line, Mark Teixeira's name may be linked with Curt Schilling and Jeff Bagwell as former members of the Boston Red Sox farm system that blossomed with another organization.

The difference between the three is that the Red Sox never "had" Teixeira. They just drafted him.

Teixeira was originally selected by Boston in the ninth round in 1998 but wanted to go to college. Upon graduating from Mt. St. Joseph High School in Maryland, the switch-hitter attended Georgia Tech. After his junior season with the Yellow Jackets, Teixeira was drafted by the Texas Rangers with the fifth overall pick in 2001.

The 21-year-old third baseman Teixeira opened spring training with the Rangers in Port Charlotte, Florida but suffered a left-elbow injury in March that forced him to miss the first two months of the season.

Teixeira returned from the disabled list on June 1 and proceeded to tear up the the Class A Florida State League, hitting .320 with nine homers and 41 RBI in just 38 games for Charlotte. He was promoted to Tulsa of the Texas League on July 13 and was hitting .290 in his first nine games.

Between adjusting to his new surroundings and finding a place to live in Texas, Teixeira recently found time to discuss his future role within the Rangers organization and his decision to go to college.

Q: Had you not been injured, do you think you would have begun the season at Class AA Tulsa?

A: I'm really not sure. The organization doesn't let you know where you're going until the last couple of days of spring training. I still had about a week and a half left (when the injury occurred) so I wasn't really sure where I was going to go.

Q: Did you entertain any thoughts in your mind as to where you could or even might begin the season?

A: I don't think that mattered to me. It just mattered for me to get back on the field, to play and be healthy. Where ever I started, either Single-A or Double-A, it really didn't matter to me.

Q: In hindsight, are you glad you started at Class A so you were able to get off to as hot of a start as you did?

A: Oh definitely. It worked out great for me. We had our trainers there in Port Charlotte and I got to play there and luckily I didn't have any problems. But if I would have had any problems, they would have been right there for me. It was nice to get off to a good start and build some confidence for the rest of the season.

Q: Did your draft position surprise you at all?

A: We pretty much knew, a couple of days before the draft, how it was pretty much going to work out. Being picked by Texas wasn't really a big surprise to me.

Q: When you realized you were going to be selected by the Rangers, what went through your mind?

A: I was excited. I've heard great things about the organization, play in a pretty new ballpark, one of the best in the league and I'm just really excited about coming to an organization that was committed to winning.

Q: At the time, did you know how many good young prospects there were in the organization?

A: Not really. I hadn't looked at it too much. Once I got here I did realize that we had a bunch of young talent in the organization and it's great for the future. It's nice to be able to play with guys that are kind of your own age and to have that goal to make it to the big leagues and be there for a long time.

Q: In spring training, Texas manager Jerry Narron said there was the possibility you may be shifted over to play some first base. Is that something they have talked to you about?

A: A little bit. Right now, they want me to be a third baseman. They think that's the best position for me right now for both myself and the organization. I'm just going to try and be the best third baseman that I can be for right now and if it comes a time to make a switch then I'll be happy to move where ever they want me to go.

Q: The Rangers also have Hank Blalock at third base. When you look at that, how do you approach that as a player? How do you be competitive while knowing that you are on the same team?

A: Right now, it's neither of our jobs. We're both trying to make it to the big leagues and stick. I think we're both excited about getting the opportunity to play in the big leagues and be there for a long time and I don't think either of us care which position it's really at.

Q: Can you about the offers you got coming out of high school and being drafted and then the decision to ultimately go to Georgia Tech?

A: I was drafted in the ninth round by the Red Sox (1998) and decided to go to college and I thought that was the best route for me to go. I wanted to go to college. I wanted to enjoy school. I didn't want to have to make baseball my job right away. I wanted to enjoy the college years and have fun and get my education. I knew that after a couple of years of college I would be ready to play professional ball and it all worked out for me.

Q: Instead of going into the professional ranks at 17-18, how big is the difference of going in at 21 or 22 years old?

A: You're ready to go. You've got a couple of years of college under you. You've learned how to play the game, you've learned how to grow up and live away from home. It just makes being a professional baseball player that much easier.

Q: What lured you to Georgia Tech the most?

A: I loved everything about college and there's a part of me that still wishes I was in college. I had a great time and there aren't a lot of things that I would change about my three years at Georgia Tech.

Q: Was Georgia Tech your choice from the start?

A: I visited a lot of different schools but after making the official visits and talking to all the coaches, I realized that Georgia Tech was the place for me.

Q: Who was the biggest baseball star that everyone eluded to down at Georgia Tech?

A: I'd say Nomar (Garciaparra) and Kevin Brown. Those are two All-Stars and two guys that both have a chance to be Hall of Famers if they continue their careers. Those two guys as well as Jason Varitek and Jay Payton, some of the younger guys that were kind of the corner stone of that program.

Q: Is that another lure to a particular college, seeing all of these guys who are making it?

A: Oh definitely. You see these guys that had the best of both worlds, they get to go to college and they get to play in the major leagues. That's what every high schooler dreams of.