What to do with Grandy

The playoffs are drawing near, and even though the Tigers have struggled over the last two weeks, it’s looking like they will be there.  At the very least, the Tigers will be playing meaningful games into October and that’s always a blessing.

Magglio Ordonez is getting his swing back (or so it appears), while Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander are having MVP-caliber seasons.  Curtis Granderson, however, is floundering at exactly the wrong time.  What do we make of this?

Curtis has never really hit for that high of an average.  He hit .302 in 2007, one of the greatest seasons ever by a Tiger.  Granderson is what he is though, and that’s a .273 career hitter.  His 2009 season has helped take that figure down, as he’s hitting only .248.

Granderson’s struggles have become so obvious that manager, Jim Leyland bumped him down to seventh in the batting order. Leyland also routinely benches him against left-handed pitchers.

The Tigers' success is 2006, 2007 and 2009 have had Granderson at the center.  He’s been at the top of the order nearly the entire time and has patrolled center field like a pro.  For the past four years, it’s seemed like an absolute joke to even consider benching him for a meaningful game, or, heaven-forbid, a playoff game.

However, that’s exactly the dilemma the Tigers are likely to face in the first round of the postseason.  If the Tigers make the playoffs they will almost certainly face the Yankees in the first round.  That means C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, a pair of left-handers. Here are Granderson’s numbers against LHP:

• Career .207 hitter against LHP
• .168 hitter against LHP in 2009
• 0-7 against Andy Pettitte
• 3-19 (.158) against CC Sabathia

Would Jim Leyland consider benching Granderson in two of the first three games against the Yankees?  Would he really start Ryan Raburn at the top of the order in a playoff game?  These questions really did seem ludicrous three months ago, but here we are.

I’m not trying to dump on Granderson, because I love him.  I love the way he covers ground in CF and I love his combination of speed and power.  However, his swing has been off this season and the numbers reflect that, at least a little bit.