WHO SHOULD LEAD OFF, GARDNER OR ICHIRO?

Every year, there is always a question about who is going to lead off for the Yankees. For the last few years, the debate has centered on Derek Jeter, and whether or not he should be hitting lead off or second behind another legitimate lead off hitter. Now the debate is starting to heat up between Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki - two hitters with a history of success in the #1 slot.

Until last year, Brett Gardner has been the obvious choice for the Yankees. He was the one with the best combination of on-base average and speed. In his last two full seasons with the Yankees - 2010 and 2011, Gardner has gotten 47 and 49 stolen bases respectively. His career OBP is .354, which makes him a respectable lead off hitter on any team.

Ichiro Suzuki had been the lead off hitter for the Mariners for a very long time before the Yankees acquired him last year. In his prime, he was getting on OBP in the .350 to .390 range and averaging about 35-40 stolen bases per year. Lately, the stolen bases have remained steady while his OBP has dropped a notch. Nevertheless, he is still a good lead off hitter.

Honestly, my vote for lead off hitter goes to Gardner. This is no criticism of Ichiro's abilities. With similar OBP stats, it comes down to one detail for me. When you compare Ichiro and Gardner as to how they get on base, Gardner has a higher tendency to do so with a walk than with a hit. You can see it in their career batting averages -Ichiro with .322 and Gardner with .265. Why does that matter?

With a lead off hitter, a walk is usually as good as a hit. When starting a game, they are exactly the same. In subsequent turns through the batting order, it is the #8 and #9 hitters hitting behind him - not your best hitters. Therefore, he will see fewer runners on base. Ichiro is more valuable to the team either in the #2 slot of further down in the lineup. At #2, a hit can move a speedy lead-off runner from first to third where a walk only moves him one base. That is where you want Gardner leading off and Ichiro hitting right behind him. If you move Ichiro down further in the lineup, there is an even higher likelihood that you will have runners in scoring position, where hits mean more than walks.

So I ask you, based on what you know about both players and their careers, who would you like in the lead off spot right now?  Vote in our poll.  When the poll is complete, BYB will do a follow-up post about it!

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row



Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.