Granderson no longer left out against southpaws

CHICAGO | The New York Yankees traded for Lynwood's Curtis Granderson late in 2009 to play their most storied position -- center field.

But due to a recurring hole in his offensive portfolio -- batting against left-handed pitchers -- the enthusiastic Granderson did not appear to be a threat to perform anything like Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.

Until now.

T.F. South alum Granderson was tied for third in the majors with 28 homers coming into Monday's Yankees-White Sox game and his surge has come, in part, to a daring maneuver by hitting coach Kevin Long -- changing Granderson's swing last August to make him more effective against southpaws.

"At the time," Granderson recalled, "the way the swing was working, we were in situations to hit and not consistently putting balls in play hard like I wanted to. We decided to make a couple of changes to be down in that consistent position, without too many moving parts so we can go ahead and strike the baseball."

A good all-around player beforehand, Granderson developed quickly into a dominant power hitter. He did waiting to show the home folks his talents Monday, collecting an RBI double off Jake Peavy, then scoring, in the first inning.

Granderson came into the game hitting .273 with a career-high 11 homers off lefties this season, compared to a previous peak of five homers in 147 at-bats against southpaws in 2008 in Detroit. The 11 homers combined with 30 RBIs against lefties lead the majors this season.

All those numbers have boosted Granderson's Most Valuable Player candidacy, endorsed by teammate Mark Teixeira. Closing up a longtime hole in his game has enabled Granderson to lead the majors with 94 runs while ranking fifth with a career-high 78 RBIs.

His shift into high gear in power prowess coincides with his swing change. Granderson's 42 homers since Aug. 14, 2010 is second-most in the majors behind Jose Bautista's 49.

"As much as I thought it was going to be difficult, the process was really easy," said Long. "He took to, and grasped, the ideas. The aptitude of what he was able to do, he was able to go right in there with them."

Granderson changed from an open to closed stance. He moved his hands back. He did not consider the change significant.

Coaches have long advised lefty hitters to slap the ball to left field against southpaws. But Long realized Granderson was a natural pull hitter and did not desire to tinker with his strengths.

"What Kevin Long said was go up there and be ready to hit," Granderson said. "Whenever you try to guide the ball and force the ball the other way, no matter whether it's a righty or lefty pitching, you're not necessarily in the best position to hit the ball."

Granderson has bonus time at home this season. After visiting Wrigley Field for three games in mid-June, he has four more nights here during this series. He planned to visit with parents Curtis Sr. and Mary Granderson after Monday's game.