2013 New York Yankees Recap: Brett Gardner

Sep 6, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees center fielder

(11) hits a two-run triple against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning of a game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Going into 2013, there was some question about who would play center and who would play left between Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson. Well, once Granderson got hit by a pitch and had a broken arm, we all knew who was going to play center. Gardner was the igniter for the New York Yankees offense all season long. After he injured his ribcage down the stretch, the Yankees really missed him at the top of the order. Gardner is streaky and a bit injury prone, and I’m sure the Yankees would like to see him be more consistent and steal more bases.  Let’s take a look back at Gardner’s 2013.

2013 Stats: Gardner lead the American League in triples with 10. He had a .273/.344/.416 slash line with career highs in home runs (8) and RBI (52) He also stole only 24 bases, after stealing 49 back in 2011. Gardner did a great job covering ground in center field and proved that he needs to be the guy in that spot moving forward.

2013 Game of The Year: I’m going with his performance all the way back on April 9th in the Yankees 14-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians. In that game, he went 4-5, walked once, drove in two runs and scored three runs.

2014 Outlook: Going into his age 30 season, Gardner will be the centerfielder for the Yankees. 2014 is a big year for him. Depending on what happens this off-season, Gardner could be a free agent after 2014. If he has a great year, he could be in line for a pretty good contract, whether it’s from the Yankees or another team.