Days before baseball pitchers and catchers are due to report, Brett Gardner is already down in Tampa working in the batting cage and preparing for a tough battle for a starting job in the New York Yankees outfield.
Although Joe Girardi likes his speed and defense, Gardner is not a sure thing to win a spot in either center or left field. The Yankees proved that with the decision to bring in not just Randy Winn, but Marcus Thames late in the process. Typical Yankees mentality: they didn't want to spend the money necessary to retain Johnny Damon, but didn't quite trust Gardner to fill the spot so they brought in reinforcements.
Girardi said Winn will have a shot at winning the starting spot. But given his youth and skills, Gardner has to be given a legitimate shot to win and keep the starting spot. The Yankees have more than enough offense in that lineup and could use more balance on the defensive side. Plus, the speedy Gardner on base, hitting from presumably the 9th spot, ahead of Derek Jeter could turn the lineup over quite effectively.
Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.
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