Poll Results: Fans trust Gardner

Safe! Despite all the talk of adding a left fielder, the majority of Yankees fans voted they trust Brett Gardner starting in the outfield in my latest poll. My vote lies with the majority.

The good folks over at the LoHud Yankees Blog brought up some interesting points defending Gardner for those still not convinced. Chad Jennings pointed it out that since a certain level of production is expected at each position, expectations could be hurting Gardner and heightening Curtis Granderson. In other words, think of Granderson’s power in left and Gardner’s speed in center. Now doesn’t that make sense?

Sam Borden looked at recent championship teams and noted the minor production out of their left fielders. He says the big moves have already been made this offseason, and any other moves left to make won’t be very significant.

I’ve already stated my final thoughts on Gardner. To quickly summarize, he’s still an above average No. 9 hitter that plays good defense and gives the lineup a nice balance. Adding Johnny Damon is unnecessary, but an outfielder to platoon with Gardner could make sense.

Next poll: Can A-Rod avoid the New York media distractions again in 2010?

Lineup question: Should Cano bat fifth?

News flash: Robinson Cano had arguably his best season yet in 2009. He set personal bests in most statistical categories and posted his best all-around percentages in a full season.

Most lineup projections, including my own, see Curtis Granderson as the guy to protect Alex Rodriguez in the fifth spot. However, Cano’s numbers make a strong case to overtake Granderson’s spot. Let’s compare their last three seasons on average.

Player	AB	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
Cano	617	185	41	19	85	4	32	71	.300	.337	.476
Granderson	587	165	32	21	69	15	63	142	.281	.351	.495

Strikeouts: An important difference between the two is the strikeout totals. That’s right, Cano halves Granderson in this category. Putting the ball in play after the top four is a key chance for an RBI, and striking out kills rallies. This is a huge advantage for Cano, which I believe outweighs the differential in walks.

Who’s more clutch: Last year, Yankees fans saw Cano fail brutally in clutch situations. However, if you are going by BA with RISP and two outs, Granderson’s .187 average is actually lower than Cano’s (.204). I’d ignore those numbers anyway for such a low sample size. If you go by the stat I like to compare players’ “clutchness” with, Cano wins by a landslide. In late & close situations in their career (via B-R), Cano is hitting .300 oppose to .263 for Granderson.

Against lefties: Granderson’s spot in the lineup against lefties is questionable already, but it’s almost certain he will not be higher than Cano. I’ll take Cano’s .300 career BA over Granderson’s .210 BA any day of the week against southpaws.

Final thoughts: Taking all that into account, I’d love to see the 27-year-old Cano move up a couple spots in the order in 2010. He has quietly started what could be a Hall of Fame career with the Yankees, yet he’s been hitting seventh the majority of his career. It’s not right for Granderson to hit higher in this loaded lineup with near-equivalent numbers than Cano. Granderson has to prove he can shine in the Bronx first.

I’ll leave it up to a poll:

lenNY’s Yankees Top 5 Posts of 2009

I was looking at my most visited pages of 2009 and was pretty surprised with the top 5. So here they are, thanks to you followers:

1. Video: Blue Jays & Yankees fight between Posada and Carlson

The bench-clearing brawl took place on Sept. 16. Unfortunately, the video was taken down by MLB Advanced Media. Jorge Posada and Jesse Carlson were the only two ejected.

2. Yes, a Yankees Snuggie exists 
I still get a few hits a day to this post, and tons more around Christmas time. Apparently, the snuggie shown in the picture is sold out and all they have now is the 2009 World Series Champions one. Oh well.

3. Hideki Matsui World Series MVP!

It always helps to be linked from a foreign country that worships Hideki Matsui. The Yankees and my blog will lose a lot of the foreign market with Matsui signing with the Angels.

4. Roy Halladay rumors to Yankees are serious
This post came on July 7, so a few weeks before the trade deadline. Once Ken Rosenthal said he was available and Jon Heyman noted the Yankees and Phillies as early frontrunners, it was time to post. However, Roy Halladay wasn’t traded until the Winter Meetings, and he went to the Phillies.

5. Video: Yankees-Marlins fans fight in the stands (With Update)

Another fight! Man, I’m going to have to post all the baseball fights next year. I think this video was far more entertaining than the Posada-Carlson brawl.

Final thoughts on Brett Gardner

All signs say the Yankees will add someone else who can play left field this offseason, but as of right now Brett Gardner is the guy. The addition most likely will not be any big piece, according to Brian Cashman. I trust Gardner as a starter, and here’s why.

Brett can hit: Gardner is not that bad a No. 9 hitter. At all. A hitting line of .270/.345/.379 may look bad, but it’s actually quite good if you factor in his speed on the base paths. He stole 26 bases in 31 attempts last year, and surely would make a run at 50 thefts in a full season in left. Not bad for a No. 9 hitter, especially when this was the average AL hitter’s line in ‘09:  .267/.336/.428.

Gardy’s got D: Gardner is also a quality defensive outfielder. He is even considered by most a better center fielder than newly acquired Curtis Granderson. Since Gardner’s spot in the lineup isn’t nearly as secure as Granderson’s, I’d keep Granderson in center, rather than making him switch back and forth between left and center, especially if the Yankees acquire another left fielder to platoon with Gardner.

Lacking depth: Despite my trust in Gardner, I don’t think it is greedy of Yankees fans to be asking for another outfielder. The Yankees have a great lineup, but lack depth. If injury prone DH Nick Johnson goes down, New York has nobody but the unproven Juan Miranda to back him up.

Don’t need Damon: I believe a bat like Jeremy Reed would suffice in this situation, but a lot of fans like the idea of bringing back Johnny Damon. Damon doesn’t make sense unless he and Scott Boras significantly lower his price tag, but that won’t happen because other teams still need a left fielder. Also, the Yankees already found a replacement for him with Johnson. There’s simply no need.

Balanced lineup: I really like the flow of the current lineup with Gardner at No. 9. Whenever Gardner singles or walks, the Yankees can hit and run with Derek Jeter every time to avoid the double play. Here’s a look at the lineup vs. righties:

Player	Pos.	Bat	‘09 OPS*
Jeter	SS	R	.871
Johnson	DH	L	.831
Teixeira	1B	S	.948
Rodriguez	3B	R	.933
Granderson	CF	L	.780
Posada	C	S	.885
Cano	2B	L	.871
Swisher	RF	S	.869
Gardner	LF	L	.724

* MLB average OPS was .764

Gardner is the only player in the lineup with an OPS below the league average, and I think his speed easily makes up for the lack of power. Overall, the lineup has a great balance between power and speed. Don’t mess with it!

-----
Knowing my luck, Cashman will go out and sign Matt Holliday tomorrow.

Happy New Year!!