Brett Gardner the early years:
It all started for the New York Yankees when on a farm in Holly Hill, South Carolina, a boy was born to Jerry and Faye Gardner on August 24, 1983. That son was Brett Gardner. Brett grew up on that farm in the shadow of his Dad, who was a minor league baseball player in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. So it was natural that Brett would play baseball for the local American Legion post and also play the game when he attended Holly Hill Academy.
When he attended the College of Charleston in 2001 he decided to try out for their baseball team as walk-on. He ended up playing 3 years as a starter for the team. In his senior year, he batted .447, tied for the most hits in college baseball with 122, established a Cougars record with 85 runs scored, and led the Southern Conference with 38 stolen bases. After his senior year, the Yankees selected Brett in the third round of the draft.
Brett Gardner makes his major league debut
From 2005 to 2006, he played for the New York Penn League and the Florida State League. In 2007 he played for the Trenton Thunder, he broke a bone in his hand but still managed to hit five triples, and batted .300 with a .392 OBP, before being promoted to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. On June 30, 2008, Gardner was called up and made his major league debut, batting leadoff and going 0-for-3 with a stolen base. On September 21, 2008, Gardner scored the final run of Major League Baseball in old Yankee Stadium history as a pinch-runner for Jason Giambi, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Robinson Canó in the seventh inning of an eventual 7–3 win for the Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles.
Brett has spent most of his career in the left outfield and as a leadoff batter due to his speed and ability to steal bases. When Curtis Granderson suffered an injury in 2013, Brett moved to center field, where he continued to excel. Although Brett will never be under consideration for the Hall of Fame, he has certainly excelled with the Yankees winning the Fielding Bible Award in 2010, 2011 and 2017. He was an All-Star in 2015, was AL Stolen base leader in 2011, AL triples leader in 2013, Gold Glove winner in 2016, and earned a World Series Champ ring in 2009.
Brett’s stats have been declining a bit in the last few years as he ages he is still the heart and soul of the New York Yankees. You know when Brett steps to the plate that he is going to run up pitches for whoever is pitching. He is the most disciplined Yankee at the plate, making contact on 93% of his swings. No player has played harder than Brett, and that continues to this day as he is having one of his best starts in recent years.
The heart and soul of the Yankees
Not only is Brett arguably the most popular player and the heart and soul of the team, but Brett was instrumental in holding the New York Yankee ragtag team together just by his presence and work ethic, teaching many minor leaguers playing newly in the stadium, what it means to be a Yankee and inspiring them to play to their best abilities. All this while the Yankees suffered an unprecedented number of injuries, and during a time that different players were showing up daily.
For those that thought Brett is washed up, he had an above-average season. He had 104 hits and 57 runs batted in, his third-best RBI record in his eleven-year career with the Yankees. In late August, hit a 2 run homer for his 20th of the year. He was on track to beat his career-best home runs in a season. He hit 21 in 2017. During 2019 Gardner had been clutch in many of his hits. His speed on the bases and his defense in the field was as good as ever.
Brett signs a new Yankee contract
His contract was over after the last season and he became a free agent. Gardner always let it be known that he wanted to retire a Yankee. For the longest time, he and fans alike did not know if the Yankees would offer him a new contract. Last year he ended up with a batting average of .251 with a record 28 home runs and an OPS of .829 one of the best OPSs on the club. Finally, in December, he was offered a new contract much to the delight of the Yankee faithful. On January 11th, it was made official and he was added to the 40 man roster. Gardner returned on a one-year contract worth $12.5 million with a $10 million option for 2021 that includes a $2.5 million buyout.
Brett’s personals
Brett spends the offseason away from the New York Yankees near his Dad’s 2,600-acre farm. Brett and his wife live in Summerville, South Carolina. Brett and his wife Jessica have two boys, Abraham born in 2008 and Peter born in 2010. At age 36 his playing years may be becoming to an end, but he will always be remembered as a guy who put everything he had into every game.