2010 Yankees-Red Sox Comparison: Center Field

Well I screwed up the first time so let's try this again.

Yankees- Brett Gardner- Right now, if I had to bet I would say that Brett Gardner will be getting the vast majority of starts in left field in 2010. Sure, Randy Winn will get some starts against lefties and we might see a little bit of Rule V draft pick Jamie Hoffman (in left, pushing Granderson to center and Gardner to the bench) but Gardner appears to be a better player than both at this point. Offensively, Gardner was a pleasant surprise last year. He wasn't anything special but he managed to carry his weight and get on base at a reasonable rate. I'd take a .345 OBP from him again in a heartbeat. He can also use his speed to wreak havoc on the basepaths and put himself in a position to score. Gardner stole 25 bases in 31 attempts and was dubbed the "fastest white guy" that Nick Swisher has ever seen in his life last year. He's not going to give you much power, if any at all, but you don't really need all that much offensively from the #9 hitter.

Gardner's real value is in his fielding though. Had he played enough games to qualify last year, his UZR/150 of 15.4 would have been second among centerfielders to only Franklin Gutierrez of the Mariners. According to Fangraphs.com he was worth 2.1 wins and 9.3 million dollars in 2009. All while making less than a million dollars for the year. I believe that would make him the biggest bargain on the Yankees. He played similarly excellent defense in his brief time in New York in 2008 and its probably a pretty safe to bet on him having another great defensive season in 2010.

The loss of Melky stings a little. Though he was far from spectacular in any area and was starting to get to the point where he was making a little more than you'd have like, he was a solid all-around player that could man all three outfield spots. However, Gardner is the superior player and the Yankees were smart to hang onto him while trading Melky for a pitcher as good as Javy Vazquez. Though centerfield is a weakness for the Yankees, it shouldn't really be all that crippling.

Red Sox- Mike Cameron- Cameron was a very nice signing for Boston and a guy I was hoping the Yankees would pick up. The journeyman outfielder has been on six different teams in his long career and Boston will make it seven. Though he's never had a batting average higher than .273 in 2005 for the Mets, he makes up for it by playing gold glove defense and providing some power at the back of the lineup.

Most of his value is in the field. Last year he put up a UZR/150 of 10.3 and the year before it was 15.6. Not quite as good as Gardner but still very very good. Good enough that its only a difference of one or two runs over the course of the season. Their should be some concern about Cameron's range declining in 2010 as he gets older but Fenway Park doesn't exactly have the most spacious outfields. I wouldn't be to worried about much of a decline there. Cameron is a top knotch defender who should be near the top of the league in UZR by the end of the season, unless he gets hurt of course.

Offensively, he gets the job done. He's clearly not an average hitter but he can get on base at a reasonable rate (.342 OBP last year). He'll hit 20 or 25 home runs a year to and we could see that number go up as he moves into Fenway Park. He's nothing special at the plate, and he is starting to age a little, but he's a pretty safe bet to contribute around ten runs or so above replacement level offensively. The biggest concerns with him are injuries (he has never played a full season) and age (he turned 37 last month).

Advantage- Red Sox- It shouldn't be all that difficult to see why Boston has an advantage here. Gardner is a solid, young player who will get the job done in the Yankees lineup. Though he hasn't shown much with the bat, his fielding has been exceptional. However, Cameron is nearly as good in center, if not as good, and he can actually hit a bit. Injuries or a sudden, unexpected, decline for Cameron are the only things that could really push Gardner ahead. The Yankees can make up for the lack of offense in center in other areas though.