Brett Gardner (55)

Stance: Has a very wide set stance, places his front foot slightly back and slightly pointed towards the mound. Bent at the knees and hunches over the plate with his upper body. Keeps his hands close to his body at head level, with his arms close to the body and at shoulder level. Does not stride, simply lifts his front foot and puts it back down. Barely lifts his toe off the ground, mainly lifting his heel.

Approach: Very patient hitter, consistently takes the first pitch. Struggles with pitch recognition, but has great strike zone awareness and plate discipline. A much better hitter against fastballs, as he still struggles to hit off-speed at times. Can be a very streaky hitter, but hits better the more he plays. Likes the ball up in the zone, and struggles to lay off pitches down and out of the zone.

Hitting Ability: A slash/slap hitter with great bat control. Uses his speed well and just tries to put the ball in play. A fantastic small ball player, who will lay down a bunt at any time. Hits better against righties, but is more than capable of holding his own against lefties. Strikes out way too much for a leadoff hitter, but does draw a solid number of walks. Hits for a solid average, typically around the .275-.280 mark.

Power: Has surprising pop, based on his slap hitting approach. Power is strictly to the pull field, and doesn’t play in most ball parks. Capable of hitting around 10-12 homeruns annually, those numbers would decrease in a different ballpark.

Running: Incredible speed, a true game changer on the base paths. Can take a base at any time, even when teams know he is going. Will get thrown out on occasion, but that is mainly due to that fact that teams know he is going to try to steal. Has great instincts and ability on the bases. Hustles hard.

Fielding: Great range in all directions, as his speed plays well in the outfield. Gets decent reads but is hesitant to run full tilt in the outfield at times. Doesn’t take great routes to the ball, and lets his speed bail him out too often. Has below average arm strength, with average arm accuracy. Based on his arm strength he fits best in left field, but his speed allows him to play center.

Physical Description: Lean athletics frame, with extremely powerful legs. Muscular upper body with great muscle definition in his check, neck and shoulders. Has great weight distribution, not need to add or subtract weight, and no concern over adding bad weight.

Projection: Prototypical leadoff hitter based on his speed and ability to get on base. Hits for a solid average, and offers some unexpected power. Lightning speed on the bases and in the outfield. A solid defender who is versatile in the outfield.