BRETT GARDNER: REVIEWING OUR PROJECTIONS

BRETT GARDNER

• Projected: .295 Avg, 72 stolen bases, 112 runs scored
• 2011: .259 Avg, 49 stolen bases, 87 runs scored
  

I'll be first to admit that I flat out whiffed this projection. Brett Gardner did not have the season we thought he'd have. The thing that bothers me the most is the average. This guy is too fast of a player to hit .259, plain and simple. His OBP was pretty low, .345, considering he's pretty patient at the plate and can beat out a lot of ground balls for base hits. Am I saying he had a terrible year? No, but he certainly needs to improve. At 27 years of age he's just entering his prime.

But let's give him some credit. He did lead the league in stolen bases with 49, although we thought he'd have a lot more than that, but the stolen base is dying across the game. Also, Gardner was fantastic defensively in left field. In fact, it's safe to say he is the best defensive left fielder in the game, or even the best defensive player in the game overall. He not only lead all outfielders, but all players across Major League Baseball with a 25.2 UZR. For some perspective, Dustin Pedroia came in second in baseball at 17.9, while Jacoby Ellsbury has the second highest UZR among all outfielders behind Gardner at 15.6. For those who don't know what UZR is, it is a sabermetric defensive statistic that calculates how many runs are saved based on a number of categories. Read more about UZR HERE.

Also, let's not forget that Gardner had a very good postseason. In the five game ALDS against the Tigers, Gardner hit .412 (7 for 17) while scoring three runs and driving in another five.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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