While Brett Gardner and Chase Headley are polar opposite players, they run hot and cold at ideal times for the New York Yankees.
This season has been a peculiar one, to say the least. The New York Yankees started out 1-4, went on an absolute tear in April and May before bottoming out during the month of June.And in between those energy-rich victories and late-inning losses, the players being targeted for lack of production are two veterans of the game.
Brett Gardner and Chase Headley have both had their fair share of criticism from the New York Yankees fans in regards to their cold streaks. Gardner is in one now, while Headley is bursting out of one as we speak. All players run hot and cold at some point during the season, but Headley and Gardner’s streaks are something different.
Gardy and Headley work in tandem with each other. Two of the longer tenured veterans for this Yankees team, they are quite aware of the oddities of being a major league player. The thing is, when one is hot, the other is cold and vice versa.
Gardner started the season on a sour note, hitting .205 in the month of April, before going on a tear in May, slashing .327 and launching nine home runs. As June rolled around, Gardner is currently batting .223 with a .282 OBP.
Headley, on the other hand, began the season surprisingly hot. He batted .301 in April, .165 in May and is back on track in June, batting .308.
The Yankees don’t have savvy veteran Brett Gardner getting on? No worries, Chase Headley has his back. When Headley is down, Gardner emerges again. It’s all in the odd ebbs and flows that come along with America’s pastime.
Even though these guys aren’t consistently contributing, they are still finding ways to help their team win, even if one player isn’t performing.
These veterans are stepping up when their own teammate is down to help the Yankees pile up the wins. These two are veteran players who the ridiculously young Yankees look up to. When one veteran isn’t performing, the other helps fill that leadership role.
It truly is a peculiar phenomenon, especially for two guys who have been around for a while. However, it works for this New York Yankees team. Even when Headley goes through these massive, month-long slumps, they know they can still count on another veteran to pick up the slack.
Both Gardner and Headley have contributed mightily to this year’s squad but have yet to remain consistent in their production. With the young guys on the team contributing more consistently, Headley and Gardner aren’t scrutinized quite as much as they should be.
When you have one player in your lineup who isn’t producing, it can affect the whole team. Luckily, Gardner and Headley have challenged that narrative by stepping up in the other’s absence.
Of course, the Yankees and their fans would like everyone to be consistent, especially with the midway point of the season fast approaching. However, that isn’t always the case. At least Gardner and Headley have been able to limit the damage of a player performing poorly.
Like I said before, it truly is a strange phenomenon. The Yankees don’t want one guy in the lineup who can’t hit but they would really be upset if they had two struggling veterans in their lineup. Luckily, they don’t have that problem.
Normally it wouldn’t be a huge deal. But in three months, the pattern has remained the same. Looking beyond, if they keep this strange streak going and everything else goes as planned, the Yankees will be successful.
Regardless of what happens in the future, at least we know that Gardner and Headley have each other’s backs this season. When one isn’t hitting, the other fills that contributing veteran role.
And if for some strange reason Chase Headley and Brett Gardner go on a tear at the same time, the world will likely end. It’s Headley and Gardner’s world, us Yankees fans are just living in it and riding along for the highs and lows.
