Derek Jeter Slated to Bat Second on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium

by Chelsea Moller on Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 7:53PM

Derek Jeter spent much of the spring batting in the No. 2 position in the Yankees lineup, and he's going to start the regular season there as well.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced the lineup on Tuesday, placing left fielder Brett Gardner as the leadoff man for the March 31 matchup against Detroit. Jeter's initial move from the leadoff spot was met with some surprise, but Girardi insisted it was "different look" to get Gardner more at bats in the lineup.

The move is likely less about Jeter and more about Gardner, considering the left fielder compiled a .383 on base percentage last season with 47 steals, NBC Sports reports. The move to leadoff is a promotion for the outfielder, who spent much of last season batting ninth, though he did see 25 games in the leadoff spot.

Girardi also reiterated that the move is obviously not set in stone, and the Yankees could present completely different lineups based on the opposing pitcher.

"You could see two different lineups," Girardi said before a spring training game against Baltimore last week. "One for right-handers, one for left-handers."