Making His Move?

It's early, but the race between Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera is looking tremendously one sided as we hit the first turn. Gardner had another big day as he hit his 3rd ST homer and got down to first in 3.75 secs on his susequent bunt for a hit. He also continues to play superior defense in Center. But here are the concerns: contact, power, and throwing arm. The Yanks have made adjustments to Brett's batting stance to keep him down in his crouch longer. They're hoping at a) he'll see the ball better since he won't be changing eye levels as the ball approaches and b) that he'll have a little more pop. It's gonna take a long time to see if Gardner can stay down, but so far, so good. Also, the bunt can be huge for him if he keeps getting out of the box like he did today. And though his throwing arm is not Melky's it's not Damon's or late era Bernie's either. It's decent. He'll get some kills. If he can take his walks, bunt, hit some balls over the infield and into the gaps, and play plus defense, he can be a very pleasant surprise. But that's a lot of ifs. Good luck, Brett.