Gardner was an All-Star in the first half and slumped badly after July 29 (.196 batting average, .561 OPS in 58 games), with injuries likely playing some role there. It was perplexing to see Gardner stop attempting to steal bases for a two-month stretch between June 12 and Aug. 11, which was one of the items manager Joe Girardi scratched his head about after the Amrican League Wild Card Game loss. Was Gardner conceding to bumps and bruises, or had his aggressiveness somehow been shaken?
General manager Brian Cashman said after the season that the Yankees need to get their "dynamic duo" of Gardner and Ellsbury firing on all cylinders again, and that could be one recipe to build a winner in 2016.