Yankeetorial: It's time to give Brandon Laird a chance

Last September, Brandon Laird was a shiny, happy 23-year-old Yankee prospect. He arrived with his coffee mug from Scranton after hitting .260 with 16 HRs, plus a Triple A Gold Glove at 3B. He became our best high-level position prospect after Jesus Montero, if view you view DH as a position. As a Yankee, he delivered four hits in 11 at bats and dazzled John Sterling with a few plays in the field.

This spring, though, he disappeared. I blame the late-winter signing of Eric Chavez, which ticketed Laird for another year on the farm. Because he bats RH, Laird couldn't even platoon, and was shipped out to our godforsaken, "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Batavia" Thruway team -- to be forgotten.

He slumped, of course. Before the all-star break, Laird hit .231 with 7 HRs - practically left for dead.

Lately, Laird has been hot. He's hit .313 with 3 HR after the break. If he played the full season at Scranton, he'd probably reach last year's numbers, despite the bad start. Hopefully, he won't have to try.

Last night, Alex Rodriguez broke his hand, abruptly making Brandon Laird the most important prospect in our system. Laird's Yankee career - at age 24 - has hit a crossroads.

If the Yankees do not give him the chance, he certainly must believe that he will never get one here. Jayson Nix has been a pleasant surprise, but nobody should expect him to hold down 3B for six weeks. And we all know what the daily grind will do to Eric Chavez' body: Think of a Kleenex in a hurricane.

Some will say that Arod's injury came just at the right time: before the trade deadline. And surely, Brian Cashman has already begun scouring MLB rosters for a replacement. But in any trade for a 3B, we might as well include Brandon Laird. Because this is his time. He's earned a shot. We ought to see what he can do. It's time to believe in ourselves.