Today: NYY Prospect Brett Gardner
An under the radar prospect who landed his College job via walk-on invitation, Yankee outfielder Brett Gardner is a potent mix of speed and baseball smarts who's now one of the organization's best young position players. Drafted by the Yankees in the 3rd round of 2005, he had a monster year at A-level Tampa in 2006 and looked poised for a quick breakthrough before breaking his hand during the 2007 season.
Even his shortened stat line looked impressive enough for the Yankees to move him to AAA, making him one of the fastest-risers the team has ever drafted. By spring 2008, less than three years after his college career ended, he was first in line for a big league Yankee callup.
| Yr | Tm | Age | Level | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| 2005 | Staten Island | 21 | A- | 73 | 282 | 62 | 80 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 39 | 49 | .284 | .377 | .376 | .753 |
| 2006 | Tampa | 22 | A+ | 60 | 224 | 46 | 72 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 28 | 7 | 43 | 48 | .321 | .435 | .420 | .855 |
| 2006 | Trenton | 22 | AA | 55 | 217 | 41 | 59 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 28 | 5 | 27 | 39 | .272 | .352 | .318 | .670 |
| 2007 | Trenton | 23 | AA | 54 | 203 | 43 | 61 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 18 | 4 | 33 | 32 | .300 | .392 | .419 | .811 |
| 2007 | Scranton WB | 23 | AAA | 45 | 181 | 37 | 47 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 21 | 3 | 21 | 43 | .260 | .343 | .331 | .674 |
Gardner's biggest weapon is his speed. He's faster than any other player at any level of the Yankee system, and for a team short on speed that's an attractive quality to bring. In addition to being a terror on the basepaths, his speed gives him the sort of plus range in center field that could also benefit an aging Yankee outfield.
At the plate, Gardner is a hacking, slashing fighter who mixes up line drives with decent gap power with more than his share of infield singles. Not surprisingly, he's also an excellent bunter. He'll have to fight to get his batting average into respectable territory, but his OBP should be all right thanks his willingness to take a walk. Of course, he's the kind of player for whom a walk is often a double, anyway, so it's hard to blame him for showing some extra patience.
Gardner will start at AAA and should be quick to jump to the Major Leagues if injury befalls one of the New York regulars. He'll be fun to watch when he arrives. He'll need to be productive to keep his job long-term, as well as to keep Austin Jackson.
Update: No surprise, Gardner made the leap to the majors when injuries knocked out Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon. If he can generate enough excitement (and runs), he could stick long-term.
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