Found June 13, 2008 on Hot Stove New York: Yardbarker Blogger Network
One of the things that made the Yankees great during their last Dynasty was their stability in centerfield. Bernie Williams, following in the cleats of greats like Mantle and DiMaggio, patrolled center in six World Series, winning four rings along the way. Bernie could run, he could hit and he could field. Ok so he couldn't throw but with all the upside, the throwing aspect of Bernie's game was his only downside. Nowadays Melky Cabrera mans CF. But there's some debate about whether or not he should be the man out there. Many people, such as myself, are Melky Cabrera fans. I love the guy's arm. When there's a ball hit to him and he's getting ready to try and throw out a runner don't tell me you don't start to get excited. His arm is incredible. His fast start this season made you wonder, can Melky be a top notch CF? Does he have the power to go along with his arm? He's a decent .280 or .290 hitter. He runs pretty well, he's not slow. But since that quick start this season Melky has cooled off. He's only had three extra base hits in his last 30 games. He's missplayed a few flyballs that have caused a few unearned runs. So shall we ask the question, is Melky Cabrera the Yankees CF of the future? Or is he holding that spot warm for highly touted prospect Brett Gardner? Gardner was selected in the third round of the 2005 draft. Down in the minors everyone is raving about him. He has a career .387 OBP since he started playing in the Yankee organization. He has a .290 average to go along with 141 stolen bases. Now for the stuff that is making people in the organization drool: through 60 games he's tripled his homerun total of the previous two seasons combined. He's slugging .454, 80 points better than his career average. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Now he doesn't have the arm Melky does but those offensive numbers to go along with his speed surely raise the question of who's better suited for CF. Gardner is only a year older than Cabrera. The Yankees have a good dilemma on their hands. I can see both of these guys running flyballs down in the outfield for years to come. In the near future why not have Melky in left and Gardner in center. I believe Gardner will one day take over the Yankees CF job because of all the hype we've heard about him. Melky is a solid baseball player. He will improve with time. I can't wait to see them side by side out there. Until then I like Melky in CF but I want to see what Gardner can do at the major league level. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll get to see the future of the Yankees right before my eyes. Who do you think should be playing CF?

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Comments (1)
  • CMully4
    I havnt seen Gardner yet myself, so until he actually comes up to the majors and proves he can get it done, I think Melky is the guy. Either way, we have a good problem on our hands. Just like we are starting to see with the pitching, it is time to go within the organization to try to make things happen, rather than going out and signing over-paid free agents. I think Melky is the key to our team. Think of the chemistry he adds out there, dancing around with Robby Cano, and looking up to A-Rod and Bobby. . He brings an energy that is more than valuable than both his arm or his bat. He brings a youth to the clubhouse and is keeping a lot of the players together.
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