As designer
collections
usual, the Yankees are loaded with big name
players in their starting lineup. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are headed for
the Hall of Fame, Mark Teixeira has been an All Star several times, Robinson
Cano is the reigning Homerun Derby champion, and Jorge Posada has been a fixture
in the Bronx since 1995. This year, though, their most productive offensive
player has been centerfielder Curtis Granderson. He was acquired by the Yankees
from Detroit in 2009 with a reputation as a productive player whose performance
suffered greatly against left-handed pitchers. Curtis Granderson began his
Yankee career in 2010 at the bottom of the order with muted expectations. At
first he lived up to that billing. He hit just .240 in the first half of last
season with only seven homeruns. Against lefties his batting averaged suffered
by 20 points and his slugging percentage was down about 200 points. He improved
in the second half, and delivered about what was expected; occasional power,
reaching base at a league-average rate, and covered centerfield adequately.
Moving from Comerica Park to Yankee Stadium cost him some triples, so he was no
longer a league leader in that category, but his overall slugging percentage
improved slightly. This year has been an entirely different story since a
two-day seminar with Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long in August 2010 that closed
his stance, added a two-handed finish and moved his hands back has turned Curtis
Granderson into an All Star starter and an MVP candidate. Through mid September
he has scored and driven in more runs than any American League player and is
among the league leaders in triples with 10 and homeruns with 39. He has come to
bat more often this season than any other Yankee, and he is clearly the player
igniting their offense. This performance has made him, along with the Tigers’
Justin Verlander and Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury, one of the leading candidates for
the American League Most Valuable Player Award. "He's been MVP-like," Yankee
General Manager Brian Cashman said to the New York Daily News. "When we made the
deal, I didn't make any representations to ownership that we were going to be
getting an MVP. What we acquired was a player we felt with above average power,
defense and running; a guy that would steal bases and give us power from the
left side. He's been exceptional." "He's been outstanding," said Yankee pitcher
Phil Hughes in the New York Post. "When he's on the field, he's been
unbelievable and then there's red bottom shoes
what he means to this
clubhouse. He's a super positive guy, always full of energy and real positive.
He's been our spark. Every time we need a big hit, a home run, it seems like
he's the guy hitting it. Every year it seems like someone steps up and has that
sort of year. Robbie [Cano] did it last year and Grandy this year has been
unbelievable." If anything holds Curtis Granderson back with MVP voters it will
be that he has delivered below-average play christian
louboutin replica
in centerfield this year. According to baseball-reference
Fashion Autumn winter
2012
.com, his defense has actually cost the Yankees about four
runs this season. Working in his favor is that the Yankees are the winners of
the American League East, which hurts Ellsbury, and that Verlander loses points
in some voters’ minds for being a pitcher who can be honored with the Cy Young
Award. Whether or not Curtis Granderson is crowned AL MVP, he will rightly be in
the crosshairs of the Yankees’ postseason opponents as the Bronx Bombers compete
for their 28th World Series title.