Last year we saw both Derek Jeter and Mark Texeira have sub-par seasons. Their Defense was top notch as Jeter and Texeira both won gold glove awards, but their offensive numbers dropped. Jeter is now in the midst of trying to fix his swing with Kevin Long. He is actually trying to shorten his jeter-esqe approach by taking that large stride out, before he swings the bat. Texeira on the other hand, just had a terrible 2010 season. Although he is known for his slow starts in April, it lasted much longer last year.
I believe and hope that both will have much better offensive seasons than last year, but in the event they start slow (for which Texeira is known for), Girardi will need to make some changes in his lineup. The division is only getting tougher and the Yankees will need to win some games early. Based upon last years numbers, I would move Brett Gardner to the #1 spot in place of Jeter and I would also move Jeter to the #2 spot again. Gardy is extremely fast and in 2010 had made great contact with the ball.
Gardners batting average was lower than where it should be (.277) but in the first half was much higher at .309. Gardner was battling a wrist issue the second half which clearly caused his average to dive. His stolen bases and on base percentage make up for any batting average issue though. In 2010 he stole 47 bases, in only 150 games! There is no question that he changes the game when he is on base. One of his most interesting stats is he saw more pitches per at bat than any other player in the MLB. He also had an on base percentage of .388. With his speed, discipline at the plate, and last years power, Gardner makes a great lead off batter.
Jeter on the other hand has had some problems batting in the #1 spot. The first year he batted #1, Johnny Damon was batting #2. This made a lot of sense since Damon was great at making contact and moving a baserunner. Last year Nick Johnson was slated as the #2 batter for his high batting average, plate discipline and on base percentage, but he ended up as a total bust due to injuries. The Yankees replaced him with Curtis Granderson as the #2 batter. Ultimately, Granderson ended the season with a .247 batting average and .324 on base percentage. Both these numbers are way too low for the #2 batter. Even with his speed, he only managed to steal 12 bases last season.
Jeter batted a career low of .270 and .340 on base percentage. As low as these number were for Jeter, they are still higher than Grandersons. Plus, I have no doubt in my mind that in 2011 Jeter’s numbers will make a dramatic jump after working with Kevin Long.
I totally understand that Jeter is losing his speed and hits into too many double plays, but Curtis Granderson is certainly not the answer - - Especially with lefty pitchers. I think Girardi needs to move Gardner up in the order for speed and his contact skills and bring Jeter back to the #2 spot this season.
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