Brett Gardner WILL Get a Plaque in Monument Park (Opinion)

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. 

You wanna laugh?

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

— The Bronx Zoo (@TheBronxZooNYY) November 12, 2019

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.

And while we are on the subject, where is Roy White Day and his plaque inside Monument Park? Talk about a travesty.

TGP Trivia and Fact of the Day for February 24th, 2019

Good morning Yankees family!

Lou Gehrig's #4 is the only jersey number below #69 that has been worn by only one player in the history of the Yankees. It was retired on January 6, 1940, the first number in the majors to be so honored.

Kari, I love you!!

ARTICLE REVISIT: Where in the World in Roy White Day at Yankee Stadium?

Every time the New York Yankees organization holds a “day” at Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter Day being the most recent ceremony in the Bronx of course, there is also a clamoring from the fans for a day for this player or that player from the past. No player is brought up more so than Roy White and he was brought up again on the blog this past week by one of the members of the Greedy Pinstripes family, Rev LGMofield, and I have to say that I 100% absolutely and completely agree with his post. His comment was that if the Yankees can hold a Tino Martinez Day and a Paul O’Neill Day that they should be able to have a Roy White Day and Mr. Mofield couldn’t be more correct in that statement. Here’s just a few of the reasons why Mr. White has been snubbed in my opinion.

Tino Martinez played a whole seven seasons for the Yankees amassing 1,054 games and 4,244 plate appearances for the pinstripes. Tino slashed .276/.347/.484/.831 during that time with 192 home runs and 739 RBI. Tino had a 16.6 WAR while with the New York Yankees but most importantly he replaced a legend and fan favorite in Don Mattingly.

Paul O’Neill meanwhile played a whole nine seasons in the Bronx which included 1,254 games and 5,368 plate appearances. During his tenure as the Yankees right fielder O’Neill slashed .303/.377/.492/.869 with 185 home runs and 858 RBI. O’Neill had an amazing 26.6 WAR during his time with New York and quickly became one of the most beloved Yankees during the dynasty era. Remember him walking off the field in Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks? Just thinking about that crowd chanting his name gives me chills and it’s been 16 years later now.

Roy White on the other hand played his entire 15- season career with the Yankees from 1965 to 1979 appearing in 1,881 games while taking 7,735 chances at the plate for the Yankees. White hit 160 home runs in an era where there wasn’t many hitting 30 home runs a season let alone more, unlike the time that both O’Neill and Martinez played, and drove in 758 RBI while slashing .271/.360/.404/.764. It’s nearly impossible, and a bit redundant in my opinion, to compare eras and the game of baseball 30 seasons later but that stat line looks an awful lot like Tino Martinez’s stat line, doesn’t it? Well until you look at WAR and see that White had a 46.7 WAR in his 15 seasons. One could argue he was more valuable than both O’Neill and Martinez combined, he just didn’t have the help behind him and beside him that the other two did.

Now I get the whole sentiment that both Martinez and O’Neill were part of the “Dynasty Years” that brought the Yankees four World Series championships and such but are the Yankees using Monument Park to honor and commemorate the player or the team? Because if it is the player then White is getting the short end of the stick here by the Yankees. White cannot help the fact that he played with the Yankees during 60’s and 70’s when the Yankees were terrible, that’s on management and ownership and namely George Steinbrenner. When White did make the postseason (1976, 1977 and 1978) he did slash .278/.387/.430/.817 reaching the World Series in all three seasons and winning two of them alongside Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and others.

Tino Martinez Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1996	28	155	671	82	174	25	117	.292	.364	.466	.830	108
1997	29	158	685	96	176	44	141	.296	.371	.577	.948	143
1998	30	142	608	92	149	28	123	.281	.355	.505	.860	124
1999	31	159	665	95	155	28	105	.263	.341	.458	.800	104
2000	32	155	632	69	147	16	91	.258	.328	.422	.749	89
2001	33	154	635	89	165	34	113	.280	.329	.501	.830	114
2005	37	131	348	43	73	17	49	.241	.328	.439	.767	104
NYY	NYY	1054	4244	566	1039	192	739	.276	.347	.484	.831	113

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Paul O’Neill Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1993	30	141	547	71	155	20	75	.311	.367	.504	.871	136
1994	31	103	443	68	132	21	83	.359	.460	.603	1.064	177
1995	32	127	543	82	138	22	96	.300	.387	.526	.913	137
1996	33	150	660	89	165	19	91	.302	.411	.474	.885	123
1997	34	149	637	89	179	21	117	.324	.399	.514	.912	137
1998	35	152	672	95	191	24	116	.317	.372	.510	.882	130
1999	36	153	675	70	170	19	110	.285	.353	.459	.812	107
2000	37	142	628	79	160	18	100	.283	.336	.424	.760	92
2001	38	137	563	77	136	21	70	.267	.330	.459	.789	105
		G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
NYY	NYY	1254	5368	720	1426	185	858	.303	.377	.492	.869	125

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Roy White Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1965	21	14	47	7	14	2	0	3	.333	.404	.381	.785	126
1966	22	115	356	39	71	13	7	20	.225	.308	.345	.653	92
1967	23	70	238	22	48	8	2	18	.224	.287	.290	.577	75
1968	24	159	660	89	154	20	17	62	.267	.350	.414	.764	137
1969	25	130	542	55	130	30	7	74	.290	.392	.426	.818	133
1970	26	162	712	109	180	30	22	94	.296	.387	.473	.860	142
1971	27	147	634	86	153	22	19	84	.292	.388	.469	.857	149
1972	28	155	666	76	150	29	10	54	.270	.384	.376	.760	130
1973	29	162	723	88	157	22	18	60	.246	.329	.374	.703	102
1974	30	136	556	68	130	19	7	43	.275	.367	.393	.761	121
1975	31	148	636	81	161	32	12	59	.290	.372	.430	.802	128
1976	32	156	728	104	179	29	14	65	.286	.365	.409	.774	128
1977	33	143	606	72	139	25	14	52	.268	.358	.405	.762	109
1978	34	103	395	44	93	13	8	43	.269	.349	.393	.742	112
1979	35	81	236	24	44	6	3	27	.215	.290	.288	.578	59
15 Y	15 Y	1881	7735	964	1803	300	160	758	.271	.360	.404	.764	121
162	162	162	666	83	155	26	14	65	.271	.360	.404	.764	121

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Now while I understand that this goes far beyond just a simple look at the stats. I know it has a lot to do with what the player did for the team and what the team meant to the game at the time and all that but still, the stats go hand-in-hand with that in my opinion. You have to be a big part of the city and the team on and off the field in my opinion to find yourself in Monument Park, and honestly I wasn’t alive when Roy White was in his prime so I don’t know what kind of character he was in the clubhouse and on the field, but the stats back up the claims.

Now where’s my Roy White Day at the Stadium?

Again, a big shout out to Rev LGMofield for the idea for the article and the great comment. Enjoy the day.

*stats and stat lines courtesy of Baseball Reference

Where in the World in Roy White Day at Yankee Stadium?

Every time the New York Yankees organization holds a “day” at Yankee Stadium, Derek Jeter Day being the most recent ceremony in the Bronx of course, there is also a clamoring from the fans for a day for this player or that player from the past. No player is brought up more so than Roy White and he was brought up again on the blog this past week by one of the members of the Greedy Pinstripes family, Rev LGMofield, and I have to say that I 100% absolutely and completely agree with his post. His comment was that if the Yankees can hold a Tino Martinez Day and a Paul O’Neill Day that they should be able to have a Roy White Day and Mr. Mofield couldn’t be more correct in that statement. Here’s just a few of the reasons why Mr. White has been snubbed in my opinion.

Tino Martinez played a whole seven seasons for the Yankees amassing 1,054 games and 4,244 plate appearances for the pinstripes. Tino slashed .276/.347/.484/.831 during that time with 192 home runs and 739 RBI. Tino had a 16.6 WAR while with the New York Yankees but most importantly he replaced a legend and fan favorite in Don Mattingly.

Paul O’Neill meanwhile played a whole nine seasons in the Bronx which included 1,254 games and 5,368 plate appearances. During his tenure as the Yankees right fielder O’Neill slashed .303/.377/.492/.869 with 185 home runs and 858 RBI. O’Neill had an amazing 26.6 WAR during his time with New York and quickly became one of the most beloved Yankees during the dynasty era. Remember him walking off the field in Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks? Just thinking about that crowd chanting his name gives me chills and it’s been 16 years later now.

Roy White on the other hand played his entire 15- season career with the Yankees from 1965 to 1979 appearing in 1,881 games while taking 7,735 chances at the plate for the Yankees. White hit 160 home runs in an era where there wasn’t many hitting 30 home runs a season let alone more, unlike the time that both O’Neill and Martinez played, and drove in 758 RBI while slashing .271/.360/.404/.764. It’s nearly impossible, and a bit redundant in my opinion, to compare eras and the game of baseball 30 seasons later but that stat line looks an awful lot like Tino Martinez’s stat line, doesn’t it? Well until you look at WAR and see that White had a 46.7 WAR in his 15 seasons. One could argue he was more valuable than both O’Neill and Martinez combined, he just didn’t have the help behind him and beside him that the other two did.

Now I get the whole sentiment that both Martinez and O’Neill were part of the “Dynasty Years” that brought the Yankees four World Series championships and such but are the Yankees using Monument Park to honor and commemorate the player or the team? Because if it is the player then White is getting the short end of the stick here by the Yankees. White cannot help the fact that he played with the Yankees during 60’s and 70’s when the Yankees were terrible, that’s on management and ownership and namely George Steinbrenner. When White did make the postseason (1976, 1977 and 1978) he did slash .278/.387/.430/.817 reaching the World Series in all three seasons and winning two of them alongside Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and others.

Tino Martinez Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1996	28	155	671	82	174	25	117	.292	.364	.466	.830	108
1997	29	158	685	96	176	44	141	.296	.371	.577	.948	143
1998	30	142	608	92	149	28	123	.281	.355	.505	.860	124
1999	31	159	665	95	155	28	105	.263	.341	.458	.800	104
2000	32	155	632	69	147	16	91	.258	.328	.422	.749	89
2001	33	154	635	89	165	34	113	.280	.329	.501	.830	114
2005	37	131	348	43	73	17	49	.241	.328	.439	.767	104
NYY	NYY	1054	4244	566	1039	192	739	.276	.347	.484	.831	113

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Paul O’Neill Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1993	30	141	547	71	155	20	75	.311	.367	.504	.871	136
1994	31	103	443	68	132	21	83	.359	.460	.603	1.064	177
1995	32	127	543	82	138	22	96	.300	.387	.526	.913	137
1996	33	150	660	89	165	19	91	.302	.411	.474	.885	123
1997	34	149	637	89	179	21	117	.324	.399	.514	.912	137
1998	35	152	672	95	191	24	116	.317	.372	.510	.882	130
1999	36	153	675	70	170	19	110	.285	.353	.459	.812	107
2000	37	142	628	79	160	18	100	.283	.336	.424	.760	92
2001	38	137	563	77	136	21	70	.267	.330	.459	.789	105
		G	PA	R	H	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
NYY	NYY	1254	5368	720	1426	185	858	.303	.377	.492	.869	125

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Roy White Yankees Stat Line:

Year	Age	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+
1965	21	14	47	7	14	2	0	3	.333	.404	.381	.785	126
1966	22	115	356	39	71	13	7	20	.225	.308	.345	.653	92
1967	23	70	238	22	48	8	2	18	.224	.287	.290	.577	75
1968	24	159	660	89	154	20	17	62	.267	.350	.414	.764	137
1969	25	130	542	55	130	30	7	74	.290	.392	.426	.818	133
1970	26	162	712	109	180	30	22	94	.296	.387	.473	.860	142
1971	27	147	634	86	153	22	19	84	.292	.388	.469	.857	149
1972	28	155	666	76	150	29	10	54	.270	.384	.376	.760	130
1973	29	162	723	88	157	22	18	60	.246	.329	.374	.703	102
1974	30	136	556	68	130	19	7	43	.275	.367	.393	.761	121
1975	31	148	636	81	161	32	12	59	.290	.372	.430	.802	128
1976	32	156	728	104	179	29	14	65	.286	.365	.409	.774	128
1977	33	143	606	72	139	25	14	52	.268	.358	.405	.762	109
1978	34	103	395	44	93	13	8	43	.269	.349	.393	.742	112
1979	35	81	236	24	44	6	3	27	.215	.290	.288	.578	59
15 Y	15 Y	1881	7735	964	1803	300	160	758	.271	.360	.404	.764	121
162	162	162	666	83	155	26	14	65	.271	.360	.404	.764	121

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Now while I understand that this goes far beyond just a simple look at the stats. I know it has a lot to do with what the player did for the team and what the team meant to the game at the time and all that but still, the stats go hand-in-hand with that in my opinion. You have to be a big part of the city and the team on and off the field in my opinion to find yourself in Monument Park, and honestly I wasn’t alive when Roy White was in his prime so I don’t know what kind of character he was in the clubhouse and on the field, but the stats back up the claims.

Now where’s my Roy White Day at the Stadium?

Again, a big shout out to Rev LGMofield for the idea for the article and the great comment. Enjoy the day.

*stats and stat lines courtesy of Baseball Reference