Jamie Insalaco
Carl Crawford is a great player. The owner of a career .296 batting average and 409 stolen bases, Crawford is one of the games premier lead-off or two hitters and best defensive left fielders who can also play center field.
We don’t need him on the Yankees.
I love Carl Crawford – love him. I’ve dreamed of him coming to the Yankees for years as I watched his greatness wallow on a bad team in Tampa Bay. That’s not true anymore, but still, I coveted him… until this past season. It wasn’t anything he did; I just looked around the Yankees outfield and decided we’re good to go with what we have. And Crawford just turned 29; not that he’s old, but he’s going to command a lengthy deal, and I don’t want to be stuck with him when he’s 35 and not producing anymore.
Have you ever seen anyone come to the Yankees and look as comfortable as Nick Swisher? He hit 29 home runs in both seasons with the Yankees so far, but his batting average jumped from .249 in ’09 to .288 ’10. Despite the fact that he does the impression of a bobble head doll every time he does an interview (or maybe because of it), Swisher is right at home as a Yankee, no matter where they put him in the line up. And he’s not afraid of the right field wall, a welcome change after Bobby Abreu. I don’t see any reason why Swisher won’t hit 25+ bombs next year and continue to work the count.
I know Curtis Granderson didn’t exactly knock Yankees fans socks off in 2010, but Granderson is a great player. He’s got it all: speed, power, defense – you name it, Granderson can do it. I know his .247 batting average and .324 on base percentage is not great, but through it all, he did hit 24 home runs, and I think there is a lot more where that came from. He’s obviously not a big ego guy; the work he did with Kevin Long on his swing mid season proved that, and his post season batting was exemplary with a .455 BA against the Twins and .294 BA against the Rangers. Face it – the Yankees have a serious player in Granderson.
Finally, I’m really happy with the process of Brett Gardner. In 2009, he hit .270 and stole 26 bags in 100 games and last year, he hit .277 in 150 games while stealing 47 bases, but what really impressed me about Gardner’s 2010 campaign was the 79 walks. Why Gardner doesn’t get challenged more often with a three ball count, I don’t know – the guy obviously doesn’t have much in the way of power, but he just keeps on walking, fouling off the tough pitches and taking his base. The quality of his at bats was really outstanding last year, and as long as he maintains that focus at the plate, I’ll be happy with whatever he provides, even if he doesn’t hit .300 – but if he stays healthy in 2011, I expect he will hit .300 and his walks and strike outs will come down a bit. I don’t think I need to say much about his defense – it’s fantastic, let’s leave it at that. Oh, and he’s not a free agent until 2015.
And if you’re a salary hawk, all three of these guys are bargains compared to Crawford – if you compare Crawford to Gardner, you’ll find the numbers aren’t much different, and Gardner is astronomically cheaper. I’m not too worried about what the Yankees are paying their guys as I don’t think it effects ticket prices, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
The Yankees don’t need Crawford: they’ve got 3 fine outfielders already. GO GET ME CLIFF LEE!
