The old Gard’
Vet: I’m not worried by rough spring
TAMPA — Brett Gardner entered Tuesday night’s game against the Tigers 11-for-52 with just one extrabase hit and one walk — while striking out seven times. He had stolen one base and had an OPS of .496 in 17 games.
He wasn’ t much better two springs ago, when Gardner went 11-for-59, also with just an extra-base hit and two stolen bases. And that was the season he went on to make his lone All-Star Game appearance.
“Chase [Headley] reminded me of that last week, when I was feeling kind of bad about myself,” Gardner said before hitting leadoff against the Tigers at George M. Stei nbrenner Field. “I haven’t given it too much thought. All I know is I feel good physically and mentally and I’m in a good position to get the season started.”
Gardner’ s confidence notwithstanding, the reality is he is 33. While he had somewhat of a breakout season in 2015, his decline began in the latter part of that season and his struggles this spring could be seen as a continuation of that.
On July 12, 2015 — the last game before the All-Star break, Gardner went 2-for-5 to lift his average to .302 and his OPS to .861. In the second half of that year, he hit just .206 with an OPS of .592.
Last season, his production was steadier, but Gardner hasn’t been able to approach the success he had those first 3 ¹ /₂ months of 2015.
And that could put the Yankees in a bind. After another offseason in which Gardner was in the middle of trade talks, he’s back — and owed $12. 5 million this season and $11. 5 million in 2018 with a team option for 2019.
Gardner is aware there are younger outfielders gunning for his spot, such as Clint Frazier, Billy McKinney, Dustin Fowler and perhaps even Mason Williams.
“Listen, it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about me playing left f ield for the Yankees or anybody else on the field here, people are always trying to take your job,” Gardner said. “That’s the nature of the beast. When I was a young guy, I was trying to take Melky’s [Cabrera] job, Johnny Damon’s job. We’ve got a lot of young guys that are pretty close to being ready for the big leagues every day.”
And he understands the reality of his situation, but isn’t prepared to concede anything yet.
“I don’t worry about guys coming up behind me and looking over my shoulder,” Gardner said. “I worry about me and hopefully I play well enough to help the team.”
Asked if he could return to the AllStar level he displayed two seasons ago, Gardner said: “I hope so. That’s the goal, to try and find a way to do some things differently and improve. I’m 33, but I feel good. I feel like I’m in a good place.”
The Yankees still think enough of him to keep him at the top of the lineup, even after he swiped just 16 bases last season — his career-low for a full season.
He’s made some adjustments at the plate in the final days of spring training in an effort to regain the production that made him an All-Star.
“I’m not happy with the way I’m swinging the bat,” Gardner said. “My BPs the end of last week were a whole lot better. I worked to make sure my hands and lower half are in a better position, so I can stay down on my legs more. I’m just trying to get more consistent. I only have a few days left to make sure things get straightened out.”
Headley wanted to take Gardner’s mind off his struggles.
“His strength as a player is the competition,” Headley said. “He gets better with that. I just tried to lighten the moment by telling him about him having a rough spring two years ago. I said, ‘I think you’re right where you need to be — if I remember right.’ He’s eventually gonna figure it out.”