Written by Greg Fertel
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10 June 2007
- Age: 23
- Height: 5'10"
- Weight: 180
- Acqured: Drafted 3rd round in 2005 out of the College of Charleston
- Position: Centerfield
- Bats: Left
Scouting Report: Brett Gardner has speed. A lot of it. He hustles down the line like no one else in the Yankee farm system. On a 20-80 scale, Gardner grades an 80. He has little power, but is a good hitter for average, with above average plate discipline. When he's on, Gardner finds ways to get on base and does it well. He can steal bases as well as anyone in the Yankee system. In the field, Gardner has strong instincts in the outfield and is an excellent defender in center, although his arm is average.
History: Gardner was drafted as a senior out of the College of Charleston after hitting .368/.435/.489 and .444/.500/.571 his senior year. The Yankees grabbed him in the 3rd round and sent him to Staten Island, where he hit .284/.377./.376. The Yankees pushed him to Tampa to start 2006, where Gardner hit .323/.433/.418 line and 30 stolen bases in 63 games. At Trenton, he hit .272/.352/.318, showing some good signs despite the lack of power. Coming in to 2007, Gardner sported an overall batting line of .293/.388/.372 - exactly what you would expect. The Yankees, trying to get a little more power out of Gardner, held him at Trenton for 2007.
This Season: Gardner's overall batting line of .222/.325/.333 is bad, but he should improve as the season goes on. He spent over a month of the disabled list with a broken bone in his right hand after being hit with a pitch. He returned to action a few days ago. There are a lot of signs here that point to a big turnaround. His BABIP is just .241 - almost a hundred points lower than we could expect from a speedster like Gardner - and his K/BB ratio is 15/12. Gardner is not getting overpowered by any means.
Outlook and Movement: The Yankees aren't going to rush Gardner. Unless he really blows the roof off the barn, Gardner will stay at Trenton for the remainder of the season. At the beginning of the year, Gardner was quoted saying that he wanted to hit for more power this season, knowing that he won't make the majors slugging .318. However, that has probably worked against him this season; Gardner should be hitting balls on the ground and legging them out. Still, he could use a few more extra base hits, and they seem to be coming.
Ranking: Gardner will make the major leagues in some way. Two questions remain: How long will it take and will it be as a regular or bench player? Before this season started, I had a concern. In 118 games in 2006 between Tampa and Trenton, Gardner struck out 90 times while walking 70 times. He needed to cut down on the strikeouts and get a few more hits to become a major league regular. Now, the same size is too small, but it's hard not to love a 12/15 K/BB ratio in 25 games. Gardner is a Juan Pierre type without a lot of the flaws. Pierre has defensive problems in center field because he takes terrible routes to the ball and is dependent on a high batting average. Gardner's walk-based OBP is potentially much more stable, and he's a legit gold glover in center. At best, he'll hit .300/.370/.370 every year with 70 stolen bases and great defense. At worst, we can trade him to some team who wants a .280/.350/.340 speedster. Look for him early in 2008.
Next up: Lefty Chase Wright
(Oh, and Gardner looks just like that guy from CSI)
