Brett Gardner: The CF choice for fans who think Melky Cabrera has too much power and potential! And not enough gritty white guy-ness!

Much like Chet Lemon did in 1984, Jose Reyes hit nearly 20 homers for the Mets in the leadoff spot. Speed and on base percentage is great, but fans seem to want power as well.

Chet Lemon? Chet was great, but what an odd allusion to pull out of your bag.

Also, really lame blog entry or posting or article or whatever the hell it is. It's got everyhting--steroid accusations accepted as the gospel truth, no statistics to back up ass backwards logic etc etc etc. It's like a how-to for bad baseball writing.

And not enough gritty white guy-ness!

Can you ever really have ENOUGH gritty white guy-ness? Unless you're playing a day game of course.

Much like Chet Lemon did in 1984, Jose Reyes hit nearly 20 homers for the Mets in the leadoff spot. Speed and on base percentage is great, but fans seem to want power as well.

Also, Chet Lemon never batted leadoff in 1984.

baseball-reference.com is your friend

Also, Chet Lemon never batted leadoff in 1984.

Plus Chet was a really, really, really good player. Gardner is almost certainly organizational filler. I'm still trying to figure out why Chet was even mentioned in this article. It's baffling.

Uh-oh, you're all picking on Gotham. Now Fran Healy has to show up and tell us all how mean we are, and what a great guy the author is, and how we shouldn't get bogged down in things like "facts."

Uh-oh, you're all picking on Gotham. Now Fran Healy has to show up and tell us all how mean we are, and what a great guy the author is, and how we shouldn't get bogged down in things like "facts."

I did think of this, but then I went ahead and pulled the trigger anyway. I am badassssssss!

Brett Gardner seems like he's tailor made for the Diamondbacks, who's storied history has been dotted with gritty white guys in the outfield.

Think we can get Micah Owings for Gardner straight-up?

Gardner has enough physical talent and baseball intelligence to make it in this game,

I find that a strange way to describe a player who has top notch speed but is still not considered a great defender because of his poor routes. I guess its probably refering to his ability to steal and bunt well. There are worse 4th OFers out there. Put him and Shelly Duncan together and you have a great player.

So he has the defense of Lou Brock and the offense of Carlos Gomez? Sounds entertaining.

Uh-oh, you're all picking on Gotham. Now Fran Healy has to show up and tell us all how mean we are, and what a great guy the author is, and how we shouldn't get bogged down in things like "facts."

I think you mean Mark Healey (Heals9), though Fran is always welcome to drop by and comment on Mr. Silva's sterling character.

Gardner has enough physical talent and baseball intelligence to make it in this game,

I find that a strange way to describe a player who has top notch speed but is still not considered a great defender because of his poor routes.

But he's white. So obviously he has baseball intelligence. Whereas if he was black, he'd have great "raw talent."

all of this said, the yankees, with statues (both on in the field, and on the basepaths) in 3 of the 4 corners, would benefit more from having him on the bench than offense-first options...I'd really rather have him on the roster than a 12th pitcher who's there to do nothing but soak up innings - if its a blowout just let ensberg or duncan throw a few innings.

with statues (both on in the field, and on the basepaths) in 3 of the 4 corners

Huh? 25-8, 27-3, 24-4. Those are the SB-CS numbers for 3 of the Yankees primary corner players last year. How does that qualify them as "statues" on the basepaths? Not to mention all 3 are about avg on defense too.

or smiling in a winning dugout with a dirty uniform

Ugh, I just got a really unpleasant Trot Nixon flashback. Maybe Gardner is the heir-apparent to the Trot Nixon/Aaron Rowand school of "convincing everyone you are a good player through unkempt facial hair, ill-advised dives at ball out of your reach, and arbitrarily running into outfield fences."

Here's hoping.

Maybe Gardner is the heir-apparent to the Trot Nixon/Aaron Rowand school of "convincing everyone you are a good player through unkempt facial hair, ill-advised dives at ball out of your reach, and arbitrarily running into outfield fences."

Trot Nixon and Aaron Rowand were and are good players. The Yanks have Melky and Austin Jackson to compete for the CF job for the next 4 to 5 years, Gardner has no chance. I wonder why so many people are writing about him. He's not even on the honorable mention section of most Yankee prospect lists.

with statues (both on in the field, and on the basepaths) in 3 of the 4 corners

Huh? 25-8, 27-3, 24-4. Those are the SB-CS numbers for 3 of the Yankees primary corner players last year. How does that qualify them as "statues" on the basepaths? Not to mention all 3 are about avg on defense too.
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Yeah, that's just wrong. Giambi and Posada both run like they're carrying anvils (and Posada is a lousy baserunner on top of that), but otherwise, the Yankees have a lot of team speed. Cano and Matsui aren't fast, but they're not statues, and A-Rod/Damon/Jeter/Abreu/Cabrera are all plus baserunners with good speed. The only truly bad defenders in the bunch are Jeter, Giambi and maybe Matsui, and the latter two will be spending time at DH.

It's true that they have virtually no speed on the bench if both Damon and Cabrera are starting and Gardner's not on the team, but I think they can probably live with it.

convincing everyone you are a good player through unkempt facial hair, ill-advised dives at ball out of your reach, and arbitrarily running into outfield fences."

Eric Byrnes says hi

Pete Abe's Yankee Notes: Andy Pettitte threw long toss today and will throw in the bullpen tomorrow. He is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league intrasquad game on Sunday. That would set him up to face Tampa Bay in Game 4 of the regular season against Tampa Bay. … Damon will get a few ABs today as he recovers from the flu. … Brett Gardner was reassigned to the minor-league camp.

So much for that.

I continue to be amazed by how much press a prospect who projects to be a 4th OFer is getting.

poor routes in the OF?

Brett Gardner sounds like the next Reggie Willits

I continue to be amazed by how much press a prospect who projects to be a 4th OFer is getting.

The NY media misses Bubba Crosby? Remember that time, just before they signed Damon, when all the talk was Crosby would open the season as the starting CFer? That happened, didn't it? I'm not crazy...AM I?

This is fun for Yanks and Mets fans!

Brett Gardner sounds like the next Reggie Willits

I would be more than happy if Gardner turned into Willits.

The NY media misses Bubba Crosby? Remember that time, just before they signed Damon, when all the talk was Crosby would open the season as the starting CFer? That happened, didn't it? I'm not crazy...AM I?

Yes, yes, yes, and probably.

The NY media misses Bubba Crosby? Remember that time, just before they signed Damon, when all the talk was Crosby would open the season as the starting CFer? That happened, didn't it? I'm not crazy...AM I?

That not-so-fond makes me like the Johnny Damon contract better.

Brett Gardner is the next Jason Tyner

Why is this guy a "prospect" because he runs fast?
Because he has as much of a chance at having a fluke season like ScotPod 2003 like anyone else?

He's a fast guy, who runs iffy routes and has hit .289/.381/.374 in the minors
His Pecota projection is: .236/.310/.314
Zips: .269/.347/.331

Fun fun fun

Why is this guy a "prospect" because he runs fast?

Not to defend Gardner, but he probably will be a useful bench player. Yes, he runs strange routes, but I have not seen a single person say he can't hack it in center. A 4th OFer who can play CF comfortably and get on base 35% of the time (Zips projection) and steal a bunch of bases is useful. He's also an excellent bunter. The Dodgers are paying 10 mil a year for less than that.

I continue to be amazed by how much press a prospect who projects to be a 4th OFer is getting.

Cashman talked him up, he's scrappy, a Yankee, and a very different kind of guy than what the Yankees have had.

Also, it seems to me that given NYY's personnel, he would be useful off the bench--maybe even right now.

Also, Chet Lemon never batted leadoff in 1984.

Making the fact that he hit 20 homers out of the leadoff spot in 1984 all the more impressive.

Maybe Gardner is the heir-apparent to the Trot Nixon/Aaron Rowand school of "convincing everyone you are a good player through unkempt facial hair, ill-advised dives at ball out of your reach, and arbitrarily running into outfield fences."

Well, if there is a school of this ilk the Harvard version would obviously be named Erstad U.

Put him and Shelly Duncan together and you have a great player.

A slow little guy with no power and no natural position who acts like a cartoon character whenever someone hits a HR and stakes out his claim as team enforcer by violently taking out opposing players on double play attempts? Sounds like a great player to me!

smilinmike, I guess you didn't like Chad Curtis.