Gardner will probably get a plaque in Monument Park tbh. He didnt have the WS that Tino, Paul O, etc. Had, but still.— Greedy Pinstripes (@GreedyStripes) November 12, 2019
When I made the above tweet, I had no idea how much
discussion and general uproar that it would start among Yankees Twitter. On a
lazy Monday night in mid-November when there was no Yankees-related news to
really be found, I found myself defending the fact that the New York Yankees
will likely give Brett Gardner a plaque inside Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park
before it is all said and done. Do I believe that he deserves one? That is up
for debate, and something I will try to determine over the course of this post,
but whether I believe he deserves one is irrelevant. If history is any
indicator of the future, Gardner’s bald head, goofy smile, and #11 uniform
number will all be on a plaque inside Yankee Stadium during my lifetime.
Now before the outrage starts and before we start
unfollowing me on Twitter, @GreedyStripes for the shameless plug, let me
explain my thought process behind this. At one point and time, Monument Park
and the subsequent retired numbers that generally came with being a legendary
New York Yankee was an exclusive club. Names like Miller Huggins (the first
ever inducted into Monument Park, trivia time), Lou Gehrig, Jacob Ruppert, Babe
Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Thurman Munson,
Elston Howard, Roger Maris, Phil Rizzuto, Billy Martin, Lefty Gomez, Whitey
Ford, Bill Dickey, and Yogi Berra, to name a few, were scattered throughout the
center field area of Yankee Stadium, rivaling the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
And then George Steinbrenner and crew came along and kind of
watered it down a bit.
When the Boss took over as the owner of the New York Yankees
the dilution of the retired uniform numbers, the plaques or monuments inside
Monument Park, and the Yankees captaincy, among other things, slowly began to
mean less and less. At least in my opinion. Monument Park went from being a
shrine to not only the greatest Yankees to ever play or touch the game, but
some of the best in the sport to ever leave their mark on the game that we all
love. Sure, under George’s tenure the Yankees added plaques or monuments for
the likes of Ron Guidry, Allie Reynolds, Bob Sheppard, Red Ruffing, Jackie
Robinson, and others… but there were also a few questionable decisions in there
as well along the way.
Reggie Jackson played a whopping five years for the New York
Yankees, 1977 – 1981. Sure, Reggie won a couple World Series championships with
the New York Yankees, and yes, I am well aware that he hit three home runs in
three at-bats while doing so, but still. There is no way that Reggie deserves a
plaque in Monument Park, let alone his number retired by the club. Not after
the “Bronx is Burning” years of feuds with then manager Billy Martin, and not after
he dipped town after just one contract with the Yankees. Sure, Reggie had five great
seasons in the Bronx averaging a .281/.371/.526/.897 quad slash while averaging
around 30 home runs and over 100 RBI per season with a cumulative 17.2 WAR, but
is that deserving of having his number retired and having a plaque inside
Monument Park? Well, that’s debatable. In my opinion, the answer is no, but I
respect if anyone else wants to say yes. I am well aware of the Yankees World
Series drought before Reggie arrived on the scene, and if that weighs into the
decision more than it should, fine… but what about Phil Rizzuto?
Now while the comparison may not be exactly fair, Rizzuto
lost the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons to World War II and his service with the
US Navy, this may be the closest comparison that we can come up with. Gardner has
played in 12 seasons with the Yankees while Rizzuto played in 13 and the stats
are pretty similar. Again, not comparing the players... but I am comparing the stats. Gardner never won an MVP like Rizzuto did in 1950, and Gardner never finished second like Scooter did in 1949. I am comparing THE STATS while keeping in mind, again in my opinion, that the requirements for Monument Park have been watered down a bit over the years.
Gardner career: .260/.342/.401/.743 with 124 HR, 524 RBI, 41.6 WAR, 12.5 dWAR.
Rizzuto career: .273/.351/.355/.706 with 38 HR, 563 RBI, 40.8 WAR, 22.9 dWAR.
Gardner career: .260/.342/.401/.743 with 124 HR, 524 RBI, 41.6 WAR, 12.5 dWAR.
Rizzuto career: .273/.351/.355/.706 with 38 HR, 563 RBI, 40.8 WAR, 22.9 dWAR.
I am in no way saying Gardner is Phil Rizzuto, or even better than the Yankees he is likely to pass in 2020 assuming he comes back and has a productive season (a 1.6 WAR in 2020 would put him past Don Mattingly and Jorge Posada, and within striking distance of Thurman Munson… all who have plaques inside Monument Park), but what I am saying is that I can see the Yankees giving Gardner his spot inside Monument Park before it is all said and done. If you can make a case for Rizzuto being in there, and Reggie Jackson being there, Jorge Posada being there (check the stats… Gardner is right there with Jorgie statistically and in five less seasons), etc., then you can at least make the argument that Gardner will be there as well.You wanna laugh?— The Bronx Zoo (@TheBronxZooNYY) November 12, 2019
Gardner has a lifetime 41.6 WAR
Tino, who played parts of 7 years with us, lifetime 29 WAR.
Paul O'Neill = 38.8 WAR
Posada = 42.8 WAR
Jeter 72.4 WAR
Gardner ranks higher than both Tino & O'Neill.https://t.co/SkXMm1aMgr