Not sure if everyone caught this yesterday, but Joe Girardi made strong implications that this year’s No. 2 hitter will be Nick Johnson — not Curtis Granderson.
"On-base is extremely important to me because the guys behind him can all hit the ball out of the ballpark," Girardi said, again not naming names. "So, yes, you'd love to have a guy that had an extremely high on-base percentage that can run and hit for power. But if you had that guy he might hit somewhere else."
But what about speed? Shouldn't the guy hitting second have enough speed to avoid double plays?
"You like to have guys who can run," Girardi said. "But as I said, because of the guys in front of him, that becomes less important. You don't have to be a flyer."
These comments are tailored toward Johnson (first quote) and Granderson (second quote), and Girardi makes it very evident which attribute he weighs more.
As long as Johnson is healthy on Opening Day, you can pencil him in to the No. 2 spot, sandwiched between Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira.
