Professionalism, Brett Gardner Style

Aug 27, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Brett Gardner (11) dives in safe at third after tagging up against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

On The Basepaths

Brett is not only a fast base runner, but a smart one too. He knows how to stretch a single into a double, and when to go from first to third on a single. This is a testimony to one of the biggest ingredients of his game- intelligence. You can have all the speed in the world, but if you don’t know how to use it you can run yourself into trouble. Seldom do you see Brett get caught in a run down or picked off a base. This isn’t by accident.

Part of being a good base runner is anticipating what might happen on the base paths before it actually does. All of the Yankees great runners, from Rickey Henderson to Horace Clark and on and on, have had this ability. Remember Willie Randolph blazing around the bases against the Royals in the playoofs? It’s just a natural instinct that guides the great ones.

And it is a little bit of reckless abandon too. You can’t be afraid to put your body on the line for the team. And never be afraid to get your uniform dirty, just like Brett does here.