LAKELAND, Fla. — Brett Gardner adds something to the Yankees’ lineup no one else does: uncertainty.
With a career total of 375 at-bats, Gardner admits he has to prove what he can do this year. And hitting coach Kevin Long sees no reason why Gardner can’t become another Kenny Lofton.
Long said he believes Gardner is an every-day player and insists the outfielder is capable of putting up impressive numbers.
“If I seem overly excited about him, I am,” said Long, who compared Gardner to Lofton, who was a star speedster for nearly two decades.
“Kenny was a bigger, more physical player, or [physical] looking player. But Gardy could do what Kenny Lofton did. I wouldn’t see why he couldn’t,” Long told The Post. “That would be a good comparison.”
Long also agreed that White Sox outfielder Juan Pierre has comparable skills, and Pierre too has had a fine career.
Long wasn’t trying to put pressure on Gardner with these comparisons. Rather, they simply are indicators of how much he thinks of the young left fielder.
“I think he’s a great player,” Long said. “I’m a big, big Brett Gardner fan. I think he’s going to do terrific. I’m excited for the fact that he’s going to get to start a ton of games. I don’t feel like there’s pressure, like he has to go out and perform in the first two weeks, otherwise he’s out.
“I think this is a kid you just throw in there every day, pencil him in the lineup, hit him down ninth and see at the end of the year if he’s at .270, .280, if he doesn’t steal 65-70 bases, if he doesn’t score 100 runs hitting in the nine-hole.”
And does Long think Gardner can do all that?
“Yes. I do,” said the hitting coach. “I think if you put Brett Gardner on the free market right now and said, ‘Anybody want him?’ I think every team in baseball would want him and probably have him leading off for you. That’s how good he is.”
The Padres, Reds, Royals and White Sox all tried to trade for Gardner this offseason so they could start him in center. Clearly, the 26-year-old burner is well-regarded around MLB.
Now, though, Gardner has to keep his job with the Yanks. He said he’s taking nothing for granted and doesn’t feel assured of a spot, and it’s almost certainly true that if Gardner’s struggling on, say, July 1, he probably will feel — and have — even less security. Gardner insisted he’s not worrying about that. But he does acknowledge this year isn’t to be taken lightly.
“I love it here,” he said. “There’s no better place to play, so for me, this is an important season to prove that I belong here.”
Last year he hit .270 in 248 at-bats, stealing 26 bases and posting a .345 on-base percentage. Those are all respectable numbers, though hardly eye-popping. Gardner, who worked on his bunting in the offseason, is hitting .233 this spring after going 0-for-3 with a walk in yesterday’s 2-1 win over the Tigers.
“What he gets lost in is all the talent we have in this room. So you go, ‘Oh, he’s Brett Gardner,’ “ Long said. “I just think that he’s a really, really good player and someone who can really help us. And if you give him the at-bats day in and day out, he’ll have numbers to prove it.”
mark.hale@nypost.com