In his three seasons for the Kansas City Royals' Triple-A Omaha squad, Kevin Long "hit" .234/.291/.304, never earning a call-up. In 1,632 Double-A plate appearances over five years, the 5'8" 165-pound outfielder poked all of eight home runs.
Yet, if Kevin Long tells you to open your stance and move back your hands, do it. That's what the Yankee hitting coach reportedly instructed center fielder Curtis Granderson to do late last season. Early this season has been the result.
Granderson is slashing .278/.348/.612 with 17 home runs in the first third of the season, the fourth best overall hitter in the American League. (Jose Bautista, Matt Joyce, Miguel Cabrera) Add the last two months of last season, when he got up off the mat to post a 261/.356/.564 line with 14 homers, and Granderson has led the Bombers with 31 blasts in his last 102 games. He's been worth five wins during that time.
Context is important, and the Bronx is kind to hitting, but Granderson has produced better on the road (1.013 OPS) than at home. The lefty swinger has pummeled (1.125 OPS) lefties this year -- his nemesis in previous campaigns. For you "clutch" fans, Granderson's been a monster (.390/.432/.854) in high leverage situations. To top it off, he's a quality middle outfielder who can offset Yankee experiments with weak cornermen.
Simply put, when Granderson hits, the pinstripes win, and this year he's hitting. So when you espy New York at the top of the AL East pyramid, don't wonder how a team with suspect pitching and albatross seasons from Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher can still perform. It's all about a hitting coach whose talent ran out at Single-A ball, and his star pupil.
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