New York Yankees Fans- Play Name Your Yankee

Manager Joe Girardi knows the New York Yankees. How well do you? Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Okay, so you think you are an expert on the New York Yankees? Well, welcome to the first installment of “Name Your Yankee,” presented by Yankee Fan Dan. This is where the real Yankee fans step up to the plate and show their knowledge.

Here is how it works: I will provide you with a list of clues. You see how many clues it takes for you to determine who the secret Yankee player is. If you identify the player in four clues, then you are assigned to the single A team. If you only need three clues, you are in double A. Two clues will place you in triple A. If you do it in one clue, you have made the big leagues. The answer is revealed on this page.

Does that sound easy? Well, here is the difficult part. You must identify the secret Yankee player from your knowledge and not from research. If you cheat, you will have to live with it until the end of your career. The ethics panel will ban you from baseball without the opportunity for reinstatement. So, don’t pretend the ball hit you and limp to first base. Okay, here we go.

Clue number one: At the conclusion of the game on Wednesday, May 1, he led the Yankees in slugging percentage.

Clue number two: He has hit one triple this season.

Clue number three: He is second on the Yankees with a .304 batting average.

Clue number four: He is a designated hitter.

Alright, how did you do? If you guessed that the secret Yankee player is Travis Hafner, than you are right! Hafner is near the top of the Yankee leader board in other categories, as well. He is second in runs batted in with seventeen and tied for second place in home runs with six.

Let’s face it, the Yankees post-season challenges in recent years have come at the plate, not on the mound. The addition of Hafner should help turn that around.

 Since there is not yet an official Name Your Yankee committee, there are no prizes at this time. However, the topic will be suggested at the next staff meeting.