Player Profile: Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson has picked up right where he left of in 2011, when he was 2nd in the league in home runs with 41.  This season, Granderson is tied for the AL lead in home runs with 9 (as of 5.2.2012) while swinging the Louisville Slugger M9 M110 maple bat.  Grandy’s model and color (black) are available online.

You might think of Granderson as a guy benefitting from Yankee Stadium’s short porch.  According to ESPN’s Home Run Tracker, though, Granderson was second in the league behind Bautista with 11 “No Doubt” home runs in 2011.  Don’t take my word for it, just take a look at the video below and tell me this guy doesn’t have massive power (and yes, the first one DOES hit the top of the wall, but the Stadium goes 385 to the gap so you can’t say that was a cheapy).

Curtis Granderson swings the M110 wearing Louisville Slugger/TPX Bionic batting gloves (game-worn versions seen in the feature photo).  He wears the whites you see above at home and the greys away.  They are exclusives, as the blue trim on the insides of the fingers are not available online, though you can find both whites and greys available online.

Granderson is a Phiten endorser.  He wears, to the best of our knowledge based on the research we did, two of the Phiten X30 Razor necklace, one in navy and one in white.  Neither of these colors are available online, though there is a black version like the one in the feature available.  Granderson has plenty of good things to say about these necklaces (and he’s a great interview), and after all the endorsements from WPW featured players, I’m starting to be convinced—as much as I try to fight it.  I think I’m going to try one out, see how the pitching elbow/shoulder respond.

In the spirit of our latest What Pros Blare (and one of our most bizarre videos posted), here’s Granderson picking his intro music…

Who knows.

Here are the links:

Louisville Slugger M9 M110 (Google Shopping, BaseballSavings.com has the black version)

Lousiville Slugger/TPX Bionic Batting Gloves

Phiten X30 Razor Necklace (first one in this Google Shopping search doesn’t look the same, probably a mistake or an older model)

Joining a long, long, long line of power hitting, speedy center fielders in pinstripes, Granderson struggled in his first year (he wasn’t the first) with the Yankees, only to bounce back with a historic statistical season in 2011.  Granderson scored 136 runs, joining Earle Combs, Rickey Henderson and Joe Dimaggio as the only Yankee center fielders to score more as many (Combs did it twice, and Henderson and Joe D. once).  Just a note: Babe Ruth, not a CF, did it 9 times!!!  Absurd.  Anyways, Granderson finished with 41 bombs and 119 RBI for good measure, finishing 4th in the MVP voting (I think he got robbed).

Granderson does a ton of damage at the plate, but also flashes his speed in center.  Though he hasn’t got the hardware to show for it, Granderson is one of the better center fielders in the game.  He has been criticized for his supposedly poor instincts (getting bad reads and bad jumps on the ball), but he makes up for it with his dynamic speed and athleticism.

He wears a Rawlings Pro Preferred Pro H webbed glove with an open back and index finger pad, much like the one you see above (although I did some photoshopping, because his custom model with grey lacing is not available online).  The photo I used for the feature is actually of the PROS303-125 glove with the same specs.  This model is the closest to Granderson’s and is available online, just not with the exact same look.

As you can see in the video above, Granderson is a New Balance guy in 2012, converted from Nike in previous years.  The 4040 white/black cleats Grandy wears for home games (in the feature) are available online.  However, his aways, which are gray/navy, don’t look to be available online.  Here they are from tonight’s game against Yu Darvish:

Granderson’s sunglasses are new for 2012, as we saw him in the Nike Skylon Ace style (in all black) in previous years.  Our best guess with limited photographic evidence (but we make up for it in expertise!) is that he is wearing Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 XL sunglasses in black.  These are sharp, new, and available exactly as you see them in the feature photo.  Update: 10/17/2012 – The latest pair of Oakley’s that Curtis wore this season are the Oakley Radar Path that you see in the feature photo.  Grandy’s are available through the custom builder, but the only difference with his compared to the ones you can get non-custom is that his have a polished black icon while the non-customs are chrome.

This video is a highlight reel for the 2011 season.  Not exactly a Granderson highlight show, although you will see him twice.  It is worth it for the 500 or so other great plays, too.

Here are the links:

Rawlings PROS303-125 (Not Granderson’s exact model, but the same web, same leather, same color aside from his grey laces)

New Balance 4040 Cleats (Granderson’s home cleats are white/black, aways are not available)

Oakley Radar Path Sunglasses

Oakley Custom Builder (Curtis’ are all-black with a black icon)

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More of What Pros Wear:

1. Player Profile: Starlin Castro
2. Player Profile: Mark Trumbo
3. Player Profile: Brandon Phillips
4. Player Profile: Nelson Cruz