Gardner: "I've got to get more aggressive"

Here’s what I wrote earlier this month regarding Brett Gardner’s plate patience:

I bring these statistics up because, in 2010, if Brett Gardner is, indeed, the team’s everyday left fielder, it seems as though being a bit more aggressive with pitches when they are inside of the strike zone could be offensively beneficial. Basically, if the pitches are not balls, he has the ability to make contact and should try and put the pitch in play. As a regular, proud pitchers will be inclined to challenge Gardner given his specific offensive skill set — he’s a slap hitter with very little home run power — and, therefore, perhaps a slightly more aggressive approach within the strike zone would help the club in 2010…

Thus, this season, I would anticipate Gardner to be more aggressive in the box, but not in a general way. He will continue to avoid off-the-plate offerings, as his keen eye simply won’t allow him to chase bad pitches. Beyond that, though, expect a significant increase in Gardner’s swing percentage with pitches that are actually over the plate.

Over the weekend, in a Chad Jennings (LoHud) article, Gardner said the following:

“I think you have to sit down and figure out exactly what works for me and what didn’t work for me,” Gardner said. “To be honest, I say it every year, it’s one of those things that I’ve got to get over the hump. I’ve got to get more aggressive. I can’t fall behind. Mentally, as far as my approach at the plate, I just need to be more aggressive and put some balls in play.”

Whether he starts or comes off the bench, expect Gardner to swing a lot more this year than he did in 2009.

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