Another player who is really turning heads this spring is New York Yankee center fielder Brett Gardner. So far this spring Gardner's line looks like this: .500/.545./1.300, 5-10, 2HRs, 2 doubles, 3 runs, 2RBIs, and 2SBs. Today he added to those numbers while going 3-3 with 1 run and 1 SB.
Brett Gardner was drafted by the Yankees in the 3rd round of the 2005 draft. He then spent 4 years working his way up through the Yankees minor league system.
2005 A-: 282 ABs, .284/.377/.376, 62 runs, 5 HRs, 32 RBIs, 19 SBs
2006 A+/AA: 449 ABs, .298/.395/.370, 87 runs, 35 RBIs, 58 SBs
2007 AA/AAA: 384 ABs, .281/.369/.378, 80 runs, 1 HR, 26 RBIs, 39 SBs
2008 AAA: 341 ABs, .296/.414/.422, 68 runs, 3 HRs, 32 RBIs, 37 SBs
Gardner never had flashy stats in the minors, but he has quietly developed into a very good player. Throughout his minor league career Gardner proved to be a reliable run producer with plus speed, which helped him get called up to the Yankees in 2008. During his 2008 call-up Gardner compiled a line of:.228/.283/.299 with 18 runs, 16 RBIs, and 13 SBs (only caught once in 14 attempts) in 127 at-bats. Not his best at all, but with more playing time the numbers will start improving.
This spring is really helping his case to become the Yankees everyday center fielder, I believe he will beat out Melky Cabrera to win the job by Opening Day. He is going to be a top of the order hitter who will not put up gaudy power numbers, but will hit between .260 - .270, steal more than 30 bases (probably closer to 40 or 50), and score a lot of runs in that tremendous Yankee lineup thanks to his ability to complement his contact skills with solid plate discipline. Brett Gardner is by no means a superstar, but he can be a great compliment to the rest of the team and should hold is own with the Yankees in 2009.
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