Granderson to start in center, Gardner in left

DUNEDIN, Fla. - The announcement, expected for a couple of weeks, surprised no one. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said before the Yankees' 5-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Thursday that Curtis Granderson will start in centerfield and Brett Gardner in leftfield.

General manager Brian Cashman said the Yankees went into spring training with "an open mind" regarding the outfield alignment but ultimately decided to go with their original thought when they acquired Granderson from Detroit - that they had dealt for a centerfielder.

"To come here and have a chance to play center, I'm definitely excited, but if the move would have been different, for me to go to left, or a week from now I go to left, I'm not going to be mad by any means," said Granderson, who had told Girardi after the trade that he would be fine with a move to leftfield. "Regardless, we still have to play outfield, we still have to go ahead and get our job done, and that's catch the ball and keep guys from advancing bases."

Although Girardi said "nothing is etched in stone," he said the preference is for Granderson not to move around. Granderson established himself as a major-league player in centerfield whereas Gardner, while playing well defensively, still is an unknown quantity and has struggled at the plate. Gardner was hitting .200 with a .281 on-base percentage before going 1-for-2 in yesterday's game.

"We look at Curtis as an everyday player, and you want to have consistency for that guy," Girardi said. "I still believe that Gardy has a chance to be an everyday player and is going to hit, but it was just a decision we made.

"I don't necessarily think there was a wrong decision, but just after talking about it, we just decided we're going to put Grandy in center, where he's played the last five or six years, and let him do his thing."

So it will be the lefthanded-hitting Gardner, who played 17 games in left in 2008 but none last year, who must adjust. Indications are that won't be a problem. "What we saw during the spring, we were very impressed," Cashman said. "We feel both give us plus-defense in the outfield."

Gardner said he isn't disappointed. "They traded for Curtis, I kind of figured he'd be the centerfielder," he said. "He's been a centerfielder in the past and obviously you get a guy in like that, that's where he's most comfortable at and that's where he needs to play. I'll do my best to try and make improvements in leftfield and what I was saying earlier when I came into camp, all I can ask for is an opportunity to get playing time no matter where it's at."

Marcus Thames' track record against lefthanded pitchers is likely to give him his share of starts, with Girardi also including switch hitter Randy Winn in the mix.

"Those are decisions that we have to make," Girardi said. "I still think Gardy is an everyday player and has the potential to be an everyday player, but Marcus Thames is a guy who's had a lot of success against lefthanders as well, so those are decisions we have to make in the next few days."

Granderson, meanwhile, officially shares the title of "Yankees centerfielder" with glorious names from the past such as Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and, more recently, Bernie Williams.

Said Granderson, "To hear about it and learn about it and continue to understand what goes into it, I definitely know right away there's some big shoes to fill out there."