Yankees Lineup Projections, Part 7 of 9: Another Grand Year for Granderson?
February 8, 2012 · Ken DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Curtis Granderson, following a down season in his first season with the Yankees in 2010, had an absolutely shocking 2011 season.
Never before had he hit more than 30 home runs; he hit 41.
Never before had he drove in more than 74 runs; he drove in 119.
Never before had he scored more than 122 runs; he scored 136.
Granderson, along with teammate Mark Teixeira, paired up last season and became one of the more feared power tandems in the American League. You could even argue that Granderson and Teixeira were in the same league as Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz of the Red Sox.
Fans around the league were astonished by Granderson’s middle-of-the-lineup statistics last season. Attribute some of his success to the short porch in Yankee Stadium, but one mustn’t overlook the fact that Granderson and hitting coach Kevin Long work fantastically together.
Granderson’s struggles against left-handed pitching prior to last season were well-documented. After taking initiative and working overtime with Kevin Long he made some mechanical changes that ended up paying huge dividends.
Another reason can be attributed to the fact that Long throws left-handed batting practice.
His successes are making Long look like a bona fide genius, especially since Granderson finished second in the majors last year in home runs—just two behind the home run hitting machine named Jose Bautista.
The Yankees would love to see a repeat performance from Granderson this season, of course, but it would be wrong of them to rely on him for the same sort of production.
Expect Granderson to come down to earth a bit next season, but don’t project him to produce at the level he did as a member of the Tigers.
Thirty-plus home runs is a distinct possibility, as is 90-100 RBI. Presumably hitting second in the lineup, he will be given ample opportunity to score runs, so he’ll easily eclipse the 100 mark.
Yankee fans would love to see him cut down on strikeouts and improve his batting average a bit, but it’ll be hard to be nit-picky about that if he puts together another massive run-producing season in 2012.
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