WHY GRANDERSON CAN HIT LEFTIES

So just like the “Jeter is finished because he’s to old” argument, can we now put to rest the “Granderson can’t hit lefties” argument. Although, I hope most MLB teams continue to think that and keep sending out their sacrificial lefty offerings when Curtis Granderson comes to the plate.

Sure Grandy had his problems with lefties as a Tiger, but the man is just 30 years old and in his prime. He is a professional hitter, so it was a matter of time before he made those adjustments needed to take on lefties, and I’m sure a lot of credit has to once again go to Kevin Long. Even the greatest hitters in the world, such as Alex Rodriguez, swear by Kevin Long. So while I have never been a fan who believed batting coaches actually can help established hitters, Kevin Long seems to have broken that stereotype, at least with me. Maybe Kevin Long will let us know his secret on BYB one day, hmmmmm!

Anyway, let’s break down what the Grandy Man has done so far. In just 32 games, his overall statistics are impressive, to say the least:

Overall: .283 AVG / 11 HRs (leads AL) / 23 RBIs / .360 OBP
vs. Righties: (23 games): .286 AVG / 7 HRs / 17 RBIs / .365 OBP
vs. Lefties: (9 games): .276 AVG / 4 HRs / 6 RBIs / .344 OBP

Okay, so unless my math is wrong, those numbers look pretty even, am I right? In fact, you could actually say he is showing more power vs. left handed hitters. Because in 23 games vs. righties, he has 7 dingers, and in only nine games vs. lefties he has 4.And here are a couple stats you won’t find in your everyday newspaper box scores, but I think it really says a lot about how clutch Granderson has become for the Yankees this year with men on base:

.304 AVG / 5 HRs / 17 RBIs

And check this one out. When Grandy has been up this year with the game tied, he has put up the following numbers so far:

.400 AVG / 4 HRs / 8 RBIs

So what does this all mean? In summary, Granderson is awesome! He is getting better it seems each and every at bat and is proving he is clutch. So MLB take notice, throw out your hitting charts for Mr. Granderson because the man will smash both your righty specialists as well as your lefty specialists. Best of luck getting him out... NOT!

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter @MikeyBlu23



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