RADIO
CURRENT ADP: 144
RANKINGS STATUS: Undervalued
ANALYSIS: Now the longest tenured homegrown player on the Yankees roster, Brett Gardner's numbers have been rather predictable over the course of his seven year career. That was not the case in 2014. Gardner, 31, saw his home run total jump to 17 last season, which is more than double his previous career high of 8 HR set in 2013. He also posted new career bests in RBI (58), slugging percentage (.422), and total bases (234).
While it was great to see Gardner develop significantly more power, it's not clear whether this power is entirely sustainable. Garner's flies balls went for the same distance as past years, but his HR/FB rate nearly doubled. He may have been swinging for the fences more, but his new approach at the plate was not all beneficial. In 148 games last season he hit .256 with a .327 OBP, after hitting .273 with a .344 OBP in 145 games the year before. Gardner's speed was a major fantasy asset earlier in his career. He swiped 47 bases in 2010 and led the American League with 49 SB in 2011, however that number fell to 21 last season. It makes sense for Gardner's stolen base numbers to drop as he is getting on-base less often and hitting for more power.
There are signs pointing to Gardner simply having been a bit unlucky in 2014, considering his .305 BABIP was 37 points lower than the year before, despite his line drive rate, walk rate and strikeout rate remaining nearly identical in 2013 and 2014.
Batting out of the No.2 spot in the Yankees lineup should give Gardner the opportunity to score his usual 80-90 runs. The player formally thought of as a one-dimensional speed threat now has an different fantasy outlook heading into the 2015 season, but we should be wary of expecting the same 17 HR as 2014. Whether or not Gardner is capable of getting back to his days of .340 OBP remains to be seen, but he should be able to hit 10-15 HR and steal 25-30 bases, making him a very valueable outfielder to target in the middle rounds of drafts. Just don't expect him to hit the 15-20 HR mark.
