I have three children, and in my house, we have one very important rule: If you want something bad enough, you work your butt off to earn it. I'm trying to raise children that know that nothing is just given away. You don't just deserve things because of who you are. You put in hard work, take your bumps and bruises along the way, to come out victorious at the end of your journey. It's a big thing for me to be able to stand atop the mountain of my accomplishments and say "I got here through my blood sweat, and tears." Which is why Joe Girardi stating that Curtis Granderson will be in the outfield when he returns kind of ticks me off.
Let me make it clear, I adore Granderson. It is very difficult not to. He is a genuinely a nice guy. So my above statement is not a reflection of how I feel towards him as a player or otherwise. It's not personal, and I'm not saying he shouldn't have a shot at the outfield, but he should work his way back and earn it.
Right now, our outfield consists of Vernon Wells, Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki, and frankly they have been doing pretty damn good. It seems a bit unfair to just pull one of them out to place Granderson there after coming back from an injury. It seems especially unfair to me since it is obvious that Wells is the odd man out and I have been pleasantly surprised with his performance for us thus far. The entire reason why Wells is in pinstripes at the moment is because we needed a reliable outfielder and he has been just that. Also, considering our salary situation, paying Wells to ride pine, just doesn't sit well with me.
So what would my solution be? Let Wells and Granderson alternate in the outfield. This way Granderson gets playing time in the outfield and earns his position back. On days when he doesn't play OF he can DH so he doesn't miss at bats. Probably not the greatest solution but it is one that makes sense. You don't just default to a player who is coming back from injury without working out the kinks.
To Granderson's credit, he is a team player. He is quoted in the New York Daily News saying:
"I'd love to be the center fielder, but at the same time I want to help his team win... Whatever's best for the team, I'm all for it."
You can read the article HERE. I believe that Joe will do what is right here. There is nothing wrong with giving him a few games in the outfield, but it shouldn't be an automatic. And I am extremely glad that Granderson is such a huge team player about it all, and I am not surprised by that in the slightest.
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