On Granderson and LHP
Curtis Granderson cannot hit left handed pitching. That much should be apparent to everyone, but any excuse to nerd out about baseball is a good one.
League wide, LHB hit .240/.309/.360 off of LHP, for a .669 OPS.
In 2010, Curtis Granderson is hitting .192/.234/.288 against LHP. For a .521 OPS, or a 54 OPS+. Essentially, Curtis Granderson turns into the worst hitter in the American League against left handed pitching. Gordon Beckham currently “leads” the AL with a .560 OPS. That is 40 points higher than Curtis’ split against left handers.
Career, he has a .606 OPS against LHP, a number which is trending down over the past few years. Good for a tOPS+ of 43. (tOPS+ is a comparison against the league in a specific split, with 100 being average)
What this means is that the Yankees need to move to acquire a Left Fielder who can hit left handed pitching at replacement level or better. I understand that Granderson is a big name and makes a lot of money but you have to give your team the best chance to win. Marcus Thames is not someone you let keep you from making a move.
The Yankees have the luxury of being able to use either a CF or a LF to fill this role, penciling in another defensively elite CF in Gardner. If Colin Curtis can hit at replacement level, he should be their top target. We already have the worst hitter in the AL in there against LHP, it can’t get much worse. Granderson should not be playing against LHP in August, September, and October for the NYY if they plan on getting any important contribution from him. He should be regularly pinch hit for late in games. This is going to bite our ass in Sept/Oct at least once.
If C. Curtis cannot handle the job, it gives Cashman a few weeks to find a replacement on the trade market. An adequate defensive LF who can hit LHP for a .730 OPS improves the team greatly and isn’t going to be an expensive piece.