Curtis Granderson had an excellent night at the plate during yesterday’s 7-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
Granderson provided the key hit of the game with a two run single in the 5th inning, and he finished with three hits and four RBI.
Even though Granderson was struggling to hit for extra bases this season, he was making solid contact so it seemed like only a matter of time before he would breakout.
“If you’re hitting balls hard, that’s the only thing you really can do,” Granderson said. “It’s the one thing that I’ve kept as my approach throughout my whole career, even when I talk to kids about hitting. You just want to put yourself in a situation where you can do as much damage with the baseball as possible. After that, it’s out of your control.”
“Guys out there in the field are either in the right position or make athletic plays, too. That’s the reason why they’re out there. But if you’ve done everything you can to strike the baseball the way you want, then you’ve just got ahead and say, ‘Hey, I’m doing the right things.” (Adam Rubin)
Thoughts:
Despite batting in the leadoff spot, Granderson’s greatest strength is his power.
Granderson hit 20 home runs last year, and he has hit 19 or more in every full season in the majors. He also belted 40 home runs in back to back seasons with the Yankees.
He’s ideally suited to bat lower in the lineup.
However, It’s been a fluky start to the season for Granderson. He is still hitting under .200, yet he has an OBP of .362 due to drawing a league leading 12 walks.
These numbers should normalize over time, and last night’s performance is an encouraging sign that he could begin to produce at a higher level.
