TAMPA — Curtis Granderson took a few risks this offseason, but he is leaving nothing to chance in 2012.
Coming off a spectacular season, the Yankees center fielder showed up early to camp yesterday to work with hitting coach Kevin Long.
But during an offseason that was spiced with his usual exotic travel, Granderson ate fish eye for good luck and drank snake blood in Taiwan on an MLB All-Star trip.
Granderson set career highs last season in runs (136), RBIs (119), home runs (41), slugging percentage (.552) and OPS (.916). He led the AL in RBIs and runs.
“In Taiwan we had fish eye,’’ Granderson said at the Yankees minor league complex. “What you do is dig the eye out, there’s a little gelatin on it, you’re supposed to eat it for good luck.’’
And what did the small piece of fish eye taste like?
“It was like a very, very, very small amount of Jell-O, not bad, sweet,’’ Granderson, the food critic, explained.
As for the snake blood, Granderson went with it. When in Rome …
“What they did is they killed the snake in front of us, they drained the blood into a cup, took that cup and poured it into some other clear liquid, like a rice wine,’’ Granderson said. “They poured us a little glass and we all took it. It tasted like watered-down fruit punch.’’
Granderson also visited Panama, going there for an Andruw Jones charity event.
“I played softball and got two hits,’’ Granderson said. “I don’t think Derek [Jeter] got a hit. He was like, ‘Man, I can’t hit a 12-inch softball.’ He was making comparisons to the MTV Rock & Jock days, even when he did that, he didn’t get any hits. I made sure I had to get a hit.’’
While Granderson was playing world traveler, the front office was reworking the rotation, adding Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda.
Granderson is especially excited about Pineda.
“He has the potential to do a lot of great things. I think he and [Ivan] Nova are going to feed off each other really well,’’ Granderson said. “Those two are going to be fun to watch as they go back-to-back, wherever they are 2,3,4,5.’’
Granderson, 30, wants to visit the World Series again. He has only been once, and that came with the Tigers in 2006.
“I got to the World Series then and I thought every year I would get back. That was my first full season, [and I thought], ‘It’s this easy, let’s do it,’ and I’ve yet to go back’’ he said. “You’ve got to get it done in the playoffs when it counts, everything before means nothing.’’
Granderson’s plan coming into camp is to work closely with Long on his hitting and with Robby Thomson on base-running and outfield defense.
“Overall, I just want to try and improve across the board,’’ Granderson said.
He is not talking about numbers.
“Nothing statistically or anything, just overall, self-evaluation, coach and team evaluation, help this team win games,’’ he said.
Asked where he can improve, Granderson said, “I think it is just more consistency across the board. Continue to have good at-bats, good approach, understand what is going on, feel the swing, understand when things are going wrong and find a way to pull out of it. Defensively, just be in the right position. Base-running, try to take advantage of all opportunities given.
“I know where I was and where I could be and where I want to be.’’
Curtis Granderson wants to get back to the World Series, fish eye, snake blood and all.