It's not really a complaint, but you definitely do (should?!) get the feeling that Raul Ibanez's awful attempts at hitting will cause as many headaches as the Manny Show....just sayin...

RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gardner is already a fan favorite. we want him to bat 290 at steal 80 bases...however your wrong about most everything you said. gardner is patient at the plate, problem is he takes to many strikes , gets behind in the count. he does not know how to bunt and does not try to bunt or learn to bunt. he has speed...wow..like a trackstar.but is brainless on how to steal bases. he needs good coaching a joe morgan or davey lopes or rickey henderson...anyone with a brain on stealing and bunting. his range is only good because of his speed, not his jumps. thats why he is in left field, where the weak arms are. granderson is our centerefielder...ssso simple fact is...brett can flop as easily as he can improve...will have to see....right now..he bats 9th and plays left....but look for more playing time from jones in left and nunez just in case...

What about two bags of balls? Sounds tempting.

Gardner is Going to Rock!

_____________________________________

Word is he will play electric guitar during the 7th inning stretch of home games.

That's what people said about "Max Bishop" type players before OBP became all the rage...

It's actually what people also said about athletic, well-rounded players a few years back when the 40/120 defensive statues were running the game. People vastly (and more extremely than even the narrative would suggest) underrate the importance of defensive players. It's tough to reconcile with what we have always believed, but it's very very true.

I would love it if Gardner was "Going to rock" But without doubt when he comes to the plate my heart drops,especially with RISP.As you say,he takes too many pitches that are in the hitting zone,and because he cannot make the decision to hit the darn ball,he gets behind in the count.The next thing you see is him trying to get a BB,or what usually happens is that he is called out looking.I have NO confidence in his abilities,and I know ALL of the stats about him.Lets hope he can get into a habit of hitting a pitch when it is in the strike zone,and not take too many pitches that are strikes.......Good post by you...........John.

So while your busy praising your predictive abilities lets look at your very first opening sentence on your original post back in 09:

"Count me as sold that Brett Gardner will win the everyday centerfield job"

Dead wrong. You can't spin it any other way.

So wrong on your very first comment . Let's proceed.

"then settles in and is about a .290 hitter"

Dead wrong. So far he has settled in as a 264 hitter (259 last year).

"he has terrific baseball instincts and knows when it is best not run as well…."

Wrong again.

As far as speed goes a 12 year could have recognized he was fast and had the potential to steal a lot of bases.

Bottom line. Don't apply for a Yankee scouting job.

"Count me as sold that Brett Gardner will win the everyday centerfield job"

Why would anyone in their right mind bump a thread from three years ago when they were so wrong.

Scratches head and laughs.

"And, since crazy already went into detail, I am not even going to state how much we would lose on defense. "

I'll put a number on it 40-50 range or zone runs but more realistic on field valuation would probably be 20-25 runs or 3-5 wins

To be fair Gardner is the best defensive center fielder on the Yankees.

he is a softball slapper, problem is he upper cuts instead of hitting down enough and still will not bunt..
he had a good game vs astros . he walked twice and stole a base and made a good catch. however the pitcher didnt throw strikes to anyone... he can be real good...he can be..or he can stink and be a back up. thats why jones and nunez should be ready...i hope like you gardner learns from someone how to play baseball.

The thing is though,if he has not learned by now,I do not see him learning too much more.Veterans must have tried to help him with his hitting,but it does not seem to have rubbed off on him....We can only hope,can't we?...........John.

"To be fair Gardner is the best defensive center fielder on the Yankees. "

Yeah. But when you read NYD's post from 09 you would have thought he was going to be one of the best centerfielders in the AL. LOL

you would think so...but still at any age , remember jeter and now tex. you can always learn. thre must be a bunter and base stealing legend out there to work with gardner. a rickey henderson, davey lopes type guy...not kevin long. wade boggs or tony gywnn are they available.

Now now, lets be fair. He is tearing up spring training. 26 AB's and a HUGE .154 BA. And he's already stolen as many bases as Andruw Jones. Tied at 4 there. Watched him "LEADOFF" here in Sarasota the other night and as usual he made out in that 1st AB of the game.