Grade: B
2017 has been somewhat of a strange season so far for the
longest tenured Yankee. After a year in which he hit just seven home runs, but
also won his first career Gold Glove, it was difficult to know what to expect from Brett
Gardner. However, the Yankees would not be where they are right now without him
as he has turned in yet another solid season so far. Plus, who could forget his
dramatic two strike, two out, three-run homer to propel the Yankees over Cubs in the beginning
of May?
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| Photo via Patrick Gorski of Icon Sportswire |
First Half
Performance:
Through most of April, the majority of the baseball world
thought Gardy’s career was on a major downward spiral, and I don’t blame them. I
wrote an article stating that the Yankees should bench Gardner in favor of
Aaron Hicks, after all. Some fans didn’t approve, but, come on, his batting
line in April was just .205/.318/.329, with two homers, four RBIs, 12 walks,
and 22 strikeouts. Both the homers and all four of the RBIs came on April 28th,
the second to last game of the month. Before that game he was hitting
.188/.316/.234. That’s flat out bad.
Never fear though!
Gardy turned it around with a monster May, where he hit .327/.400/.673 with
nine homers, 21 RBIs, six doubles, and 12 walks. 11 homers through the first
two months! At this point, his season batting line was at .276/.365/.529. Gardy
looked like a potential All-Star. However, June came and kind of put a damper
on that idea. June overall hasn’t been kind to the Yankees, but Gardner sank
back down to almost April levels of hitting. As of this writing, he’s hitting
.222/.286/.343 in June, with three homers and nine RBIs. His signature moment
of June came on the 23rd, when he hit a game tying homer in the
ninth off of Rangers closer Matt Bush. For the most part though, Gardner has
averaged out to a very Gardner-like season.
Expectations for the
Second Half:
It’s difficult to tell just what Gardner might do in the
second half of the season. If he keeps up his on and off month streak, it will
be very fun to watch him in July. However, I do believe that there is at least
a chance the Yankees trade Gardner at the trade deadline (especially if they
continue to play as badly as they have recently). If I had to guess, I’d say he’s
wearing a Yankees jersey in August, but you never know. Overall though, I would
expect pretty much the same from Gardner. Maybe a .260/.340/.400 batting line?
He should eclipse his career high of 17 home runs at some point, so that’s
something to look forward to.
Conclusion:
As of right now, 2017 looks like just another typical Brett
Gardner season. He’s hitting for a bit more power, as evidenced by his 14
homers, but for the most part he looks the same. He’s going to continue to sit
atop the Yankees lineup, get on base a good amount, and play above average
defense in left field. With all the uncertainty surrounding the Yankees
regarding injuries and young players, sign me up for that.
Article by: Alex Weir
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