Flipping Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson
April 24, 2010, 2:00 pm by iYankees · 8 Comments
For most of the season, Nick Johnson has hit second in the Yankees’ lineup. While the plate patience has certainly been there, Johnson has failed to do much else, as his line stands at .135/.375/.231. Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson, who has primarily hit in the seven-hole, is batting .268/.349/.482 on the season. Whereas Johnson has been slumping since day one, Granderson, who looked great early on, is currently mired in a 3-for-20 slide. I wonder if, in the near future – maybe today – Joe Girardi might flip the two in the batting order so as to take some pressure off of Johnson. The alteration might also help to reinvigorate Granderson’s bat, too (it’s mainly a Nick Johnson change, though).
Many Yankee fans seem to favor the idea, as well. In our “Who should bat second this year” poll, Johnson had maintained a healthy lead over Granderson for the better part of the spring and well into the regular season. Today, however, both he and Granderson are tied. It appears some fans have grown tired of Johnson’s lack of production, allowing the tide to turn. I can’t say I blame them, however, as Johnson stranded 3 men last night against the Angels.
UPDATE – Speaking to reporters today, Joe Girardi would not commit to batting Nick Johnson second for tomorrow’s game (Johnson is being held out of today’s lineup with a stiff lower back).
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