New York Yankees: 50 greatest players of all-time

By Phil Watson | Jun 30, 2023, 6:27 PM EDT

NEW YORK - MAY 02: The monuments of (L-R) Lou Gehrig, Miller Huggins, and Babe Ruth are seen in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium prior to game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox on May 2, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the White Sox 12-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

player. 43. . LF-CF. 2008-present. Brett Gardner. 34

A third-round pick out of the College of Charleston by the Yankees in 2005, Brett Gardner has become a fixture for the Yankees during his 11 seasons in the Bronx, manning left and center field with his speed.

Gardner broke into the bigs with the Yankees in June 2008 and spent a couple of years as a part-time player before nabbing the starting left field gig in 2010. Save for an injury-shortened 2012 season, Gardner has been a regular ever since.

He led the American League with 49 stolen bases in 2011 and with 10 triples in 2013. He earned his first All-Star berth in 2015 and won a Gold Glove for his defensive work in 2016.

Fundamentally sound, Gardner also led the AL with 13 sacrifice hits in 2014, even as the bunt has fallen out of vogue in the era of launch angles.

He’s also added some pop to his repertoire, mashing 21 home runs last season to set a career high.

In 10 seasons through the end of 2017, Gardner has hit .264/.347/.740 in 1,218 games, with 84 homers, 405 RBI, 241 stolen bases and 695 runs scored.

He’s under contract through this season, with the Yankees holding a $12.5 million option with a $2 million buyout for 2019.

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