Thursday, January 3, 2013

2012 Statistical Trends: Curtis Granderson's Strikeouts

(An all too common occurrence.  Courtesy of Ron Antonelli/Daily News)

It's been a bit of a roller coaster experience for Curtis Granderson since joining the Yankees before the 2010 season.  What started off as high levels of excitement and anticipation about acquiring an All Star-caliber player in his prime quickly turned to disappointment based on underwhelming performance, then right back to excitement after a big rebound year in 2011.  C-Grand set the bar high for himself in 2012, and made plenty of comments prior to the season about wanting to exceed that bar and taking the necessary steps to do so.

Unfortunately the season didn't play out that way, as Granderson's numbers across the board took a big hit from their 2011 levels and dropped down to, and in some cases below, the levels from his disappointing 2010.  At the forefront of this regression was a jump in C-Grand's strikeouts, which reached a career worst and Yankee all-time record in 2012, and hastened his transition from a well-rounded offensive threat to an extreme Three True Outcomes hitter.

Yankees Thankfully Not Interested In Delmon Young

The Yankees are still very much in the market for some right-handed pop to balance out their lineup and strengthen their bench, but according to Joel Sherman that interest does not include former Tiger, recent Yankee killer, and all-around dick Delmon Young.  Young is just 27 years old, has put his power on display against the Yankees many a time before, and in the "beggars can't be choosers" mode the Yanks are in this offseason according to Cash seems like an ideal matchup at first glance.  A quick look just a level or 2 deeper, however, shows a match that isn't made anywhere near heaven.