Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Curtis a happy new Yankee camper

Curtis Granderson is so happy to be joining the New York Yankees that he doesn't care where he plays or hits in the lineup. The new Yankee outfielder will play a key role in two of the biggest decisions Joe Girardi will make this spring: who plays center and left field and who hits second in the lineup behind Derek Jeter and ahead of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.

Granderson's comfort in making a change in either his position or the lineup will be a major factor in Girardi's decision making. But Granderson seems determined to make the decision as easy as possible for his new manager by being as low maintenance as possible. He repeatedly stated that he would be OK with a move to left field, reminding people that he hasn't always been a center fielder. Granderson also said he doesn't care where he hits in the lineup. Classic non-diva attitude, which is important for a new guy on a team that just won the World Series.

But he did reiterate a point he made in his introductory press conference a few months ago, that he is not a home run hitter despite hitting 30 homers last season. Granderson seems to be trying to lower expectations that the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium will automatically translate into an Albert Pujols-like power surge. Don't worry about that, Curtis. Just try to get better hitting those lefties!

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