Is Brett Gardner 'the energizer' crucial to the Yankees?

by ericjs on May 18, 2009 12:34 AM EDT Comment 14 comments

What do you think? How important is the guy to this team? He was instrumental in each of the last five wins, either defensively or scampering on the basepaths.

Joe Mauer pumped once to first, as Gardner rounded third. A seasoned runner might have held and not broke for home. But a seasoned runner might not have been in position to score the winning run, and maybe, because he is a rookie, and maybe, as Austin Jackson from Triple -A Scranton is groomed to be the Y's certerfielder of the future, Gardner is playing all out with the incentive to prove he belongs here.

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Read More: brett gardner, New York Yankees, Brett Gardner is the Fastest Yankee(Star-Ledger 5/17/09)

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THe Yankees used to be at the top of the league

in SB when they were at their best in the late 90’s and early 00’s. Gardener and still Johnny Damon are really the only speed guys on the team.

Speed helps out a lot. I don’t know where he would fit in the future unless he becomes a better hitter. YOu never know if Austin Jackson will ever pan out, so maybe he does have a future?

At the very least he can be a situational guy and fill in.

I still like Melky better than him cuz Melk is a better hitter, and while he isn’t as fast Melky has very good range in CF and also a cannon of an arm (tho Gardner’s isn’t bad either.)

by FreeBradshaw on May 18, 2009 8:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Gardner

I like Brett. Is he a full time player. That’s yet to be decided. But he’s exactly the type of player the Yankees need. He’d run into a freight train if they asked him to.

by jimwarren on May 18, 2009 9:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Correct about a

seasoned runner not making that attempt. Had there been 2 outs I could understand it. Cano flied out to left for out 3. Clearly if Brett is on third with one out, that fly ball wins the game.If their left fielder could not throw out Matsui on a Sac fly, he sure as hell couldn’t throw out Gardner. Gardner was agressive which I like, but experience tells one when to be agressive and when not to be. If you watch base running gafes by the other speed merchant in New York—Jose Reyes of the Mets— the frustrating thing with Reyes is he’s still making those mistakes after 3-4 years in the big leagues; I doube Brett will do that.

"I don't want one of those guys who'll drive in two but let in three every game." Casey Stengel

by tnredneckyankeesfan on May 18, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i hope you're right

that BG learns from his mistakes, and i believe he will, but will he still be a MLer in 3 years?

he did make a baserunning mistake, considering the situation, but fortunately we won anyway. the positive is that it will cause teams in the future to be even more nervous about BG’s speed. it caused Mauer to allow Cervelli to reach 1b. that is valuable.

by Travis G on May 18, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I believe

he will still be in the bigs, just not so sure it’ll be with the NYY. I also believe he will improve his level of play.

"I don't want one of those guys who'll drive in two but let in three every game." Casey Stengel

by tnredneckyankeesfan on May 18, 2009 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if Gardner's on 3rd with one out and never attempts home (which was a good aggressive play)

the entire situation changes. There’s no way you can say Cano still flies out to left. This kind of hindsight arguement is absurd at best.

by Ozone on May 18, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This assumes

that if Gardner stops at third, Mauer has no play at 1B. Cervelli was only two steps away, so maybe that’s a safe assumption.

My take is that Gardner’s play was that it was the type that the Yankees in the 90s did – put pressure on the defense to make mistakes. In a way, it did. Maurer said he did the fake pump to catch Gardner at 3B but Gardner was already on his way home. Only a diving tag saved Maurer from what should have been a bad play on his part.

by coops2001 on May 19, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly coops, you need to put pressure on the other team, it works especially well to get out of a slide/slump….often, what keeps you in a slump is putting to much pressure on yourself and not letting abilities flow. doing the things the yanks have been relieves pressure and allows the players to get into a natural rhythym

by Ozone on May 19, 2009 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love Gardner as they've been using him...

a late inning pinch runner/ defensively replacement in CF, shifting Melky over to RF. I don’t think he’s an everyday player, but when he is on the base paths he is exciting to watch.

by NumberSeven on May 18, 2009 4:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Think Yankee's Ellsbury

Yes, I know, he’s bigger, perhaps stronger, and a bonafide ML hitter, has a few years under his belt. But there are some parallels. Both are/were home-grown rookies, and given the situation and a chance, whose to say?

BG gives the Yankees something they haven’t had – since Chuck Knob. BG can hit, and get on base, he’s already got the best range of the outfielders, once he proves he can do this regularly, he will be an outstanding value and I hope disrupt the heck out of opposing pitchers.

Ken Singleton on YES: “You can see Melky Cabrera is much more confident at the plate this year….He and Brett Gardner were competing for a positon and it wasn’t certain whether he’d (Melky) would make the team. But both made the roster. I think having BG around actually helped,” (in that both Melky was motivated by having to compete with Brett Garner and that their presence helps make the team better) (interp. mine)

Credit to Girardi again — for rewarding the younger guys with playing time and motivating them back in spring training. They are fun to watch.. Melky especially has got that killer look lately.

ejs

by ericjs on May 19, 2009 12:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Not to burst the bubble

But he’s not an energizer.

Unless Gardner can start stealing first base, his .315 OBP for the season (or .296 for his career) is low for even a backup outfielder.

by 3460kuri on May 21, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I have to say

everyone who keeps bringing up his OBP….do you guys realize that Joe Girardi’s OBP in the 90’s was around the same if not worse when we were winning championships?

We’re on an 8 game winning streak. I like the small ball that has been played with guys like Cervelli, Cash, Melky, Gardner, Jeter and even Swisher laid down a bunt. However, we’re basically still winning with homeruns. I love the fact that Gardner adds another dimension of offense outside of the “wait for a base hit to score” runs type of lineup that we’ve had for the past 7 or 8 years. Gardner can slap the ball and can get base hits with his legs as well as put pressure on the defense with this speed. You’ve got to give Gardner a chance. He hasn’t played regularly and needs some time to develop. I think what we’re seeing is an aberration out of Melky Cabrera. I love Cabrera’s game as well since he does not strike out a whole lot and is a very good bunter as well as a good baserunner. My ideal lineup would consist of Gardner AND Melky in it everyday. I do not like Nick Swisher. He essentially is a poor man’s Jason Giambi with a higher defensive value.

by o'neill21 on May 21, 2009 1:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's faulty reasoning though

Just because the Yankees won a World Series with Girardi (and his low OBP) as their primary catcher doesn’t mean that OBP is insignificant. (By the way, Girardi’s OBP was a respectable .346 in 1996, much better than Brett Gardner’s right now).

“Small ball” is good in theory, but it’s been grossly distorted by baseball writers and pundits to the point where not striking out, going first to third, and pressuring the defense seem to take precedence over everything else. I don’t mean to pick on you in particular, o’neill21, but some of the things you said just illustrate my point. This is how we wind up grossly overvaluing weak hitters, like Brett Gardner or Scott Podsednik (because they bunt, run fast, and don’t strike out) and undervaluing excellent ones, like Adam Dunn or Nick Swisher (because they strike out frequently, don’t hit for high batting averages, and can’t bunt).

A player can help his team in several ways – offensively, defensively, and on the basepaths. However, offense remains the largest piece of the pie, by far outweighing the other two, and OBP is the most important component of offense. The best defenders and baserunners can completely negate their value if they’re not at least competent with the bat.

The overwhelming majority of hitters (95%+) have their peak season in the their mid-late twenties; Gardner turns 26 this August and has yet to show much in the majors. Would I love to see Gardner succed as a major leaguer? Absolutely? Am I going to hold out hope that he’s the exception to the rule? No.

by 3460kuri on May 21, 2009 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

First of all

I don’t think Gardner is the best comparison here to other guys of his style because he has not proven to be a force yet in the big leagues. The thing I do like is the fact that the Yankees are finally willing to incorporate that style whether he develops into a full time major leaguer or not. I don’t feel that a Brett Gardner or Posednik type of player is more valuable than say a Mark Teixeira obviously. I’m not trying to over value hitters like Gardner either. I’m just stating that the Yankees already have a power filled lineup with high OBP guys and lots of power at almost every position. Therefore, they can AFFORD a guy like Gardner because it expands your offense so that it isn’t soley based on “waiting for the base hit” to score runs. In recent post seasons, we’ve had predominately homerun hitting lineups and if you look back to 2004 ALCS, a little small ball probably puts the Yankees in WS. Again, I’m not trying to overvalue small ball. I just would like to see more balance in the lineup rather than soley the 30 HR 90 RBI guys every position. When your big hitters go cold which of course is going to happen, you have that alternative dimension of offense where you can manufacture runs as well. It happens more so in the playoffs when you face the best pitching in the league. I agree with you that Gardner has to get on base a little more, which is why I’m advocating for the Yankees to at stick with him a little longer when his shoulder gets better ( I think it’s his shoulder).

by o'neill21 on May 21, 2009 4:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs