Only the New York Yankees could continuously bench a guy with a .294 batting average on the season. Go figure! For some reason, Girardi continues to have Andruw Jones platoon in left field with Brett Gardner despite Gardner’s impressive numbers lately. Maybe Girardi is stuck in 2005 or maybe he just wants to get Jones some more at bats, but it’s time to put an end to this silliness. I like stats as much as anybody (maybe not as much as Girardi), but I know that when a guy is hot – play him everyday!
Gardner had a tough month of April and only hit .188 for the month with a .273 on base percentage. By no stretch of the imagination was Gardner swinging the bat well. Even if you forget Gardner’s numbers from last year, he had a very poor April compared to his career numbers. That all changed though in the month of May. During May, Gardner dramatically improved his numbers in all offensive categories as he hit .301, with a .379 on base percentage. The month of June has treated Gardner even better than May as he is hitting .404 with a .481 on base percentage and an uncharacteristic .553 slugging percentage on the month. Yet, Girardi still keeps him on the bench most days the Yanks face a lefty pitcher. Even after his game winning at bat on Thursday, Girardi sat him the next afternoon against the Cubs since they were facing a lefty.
I understand that the Yankees specifically gave Andruw Jones a 1 year deal for 2 million so he could face lefty pitchers, but at some point they need to cut him loose. He isn’t helping the team at all, and in fact is more of a problem in the lineup and the field. Right now, Jones is hitting a mere .208 with a .288 on base percentage. More importantly, since Jones is a power hitter his OPS should be respectable, but instead he only has a .690 OPS. Meanwhile, in the month of June, Gardner has 1.03 OPS, and has never been considered a power hitter by any means! Moreover, while Jones is supposed to be the go-to-guy when facing a lefty, his numbers against lefties aren’t much better. Jones boasts a .236 average and a nominal .311 on base percentage against lefties.
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| When was the last time you saw Jones make a play like this? |
It doesn’t help Jones’ case that he is older and slower these days. It used to be fun watching Jones chase down balls in the outfield and make catches that were always on sportscenter the next morning. Nowadays, he is not making those plays and instead allowing doubles out in left field. Although he doesn’t have any errors on the season, he just isn’t getting to the ball quick enough, especially when compared to the speedy Gardner. Furthermore, Jones isn’t a threat on the bases and poses a bigger risk for the Yankees hitting into a double play (which they sure seem to like this year).
At some point the Yankees will need to cut their losses and release Jones. Normally, I would try to be patient with a veteran guy like Jones and have him sit the bench to be a late inning pinch hitter, but Jones poses no threat to an opposing pitcher. If you are an opposing manager, you wouldn’t change your pitcher from a lefty to a righty because Andruw Jones is coming to the plate hitting .236 off lefties. It’s silly to have Gardner sit on the bench at all right now, especially while he is having an amazing June, so that Andruw Jones can get some at bats. He’s not bringing anything to the table.
I typically like brining in younger guys from Triple-A as replacements (rather than buying a bat) and it wouldn’t hurt the team to bring in a guy like Greg Golson from Scranton. Golson is an outfielder who is hitting .286 on the season so far, with a .345 on base percentage and .442 slugging percentage. Golson had a hamstring injury and was on the DL until very early June, but since coming off the DL is 14 for his last 40 at bats. Why not give a player like this an opportunity rather than using Jones? I wouldn’t use Golson in place of Gardner often but Golson can give the regular outfielders a day off to keep them sharp and can be used later in games as a pinch runner because of his speed. Swisher could use a few days off to get his swing in check as well. I’m not sure how long of a leash Jones has, but the Yankees will be forced to make some important choices with him before the all star break, especially if he doesn’t pick up his numbers against lefties soon.
I agree with everything you said. It's getting really annoying to see Gardner on the bench, especially when he's hot. Put that together with his 3+ years of pretty much only getting put in when we needed a base stolen (and doing it well, without complaint) and anyone can see he's earned his pinstripes. I don't claim to be an expert on baseball, but sometimes Girardi just baffles me.
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