A high standard exists for Joe Girardi to reach into his pocket for, arguably, his top personal tale of overcoming professional adversity.
“I don’t use it a lot,” the Yankees’ manager said Wednesday, and then he repeated: “I don’t use it a lot.”
But a special circumstance presented itself this week in the Yankees’ clubhouse — too similar a struggle, too important to the team’s hopes for Girardi to ignore. So, before the Yankees departed The Bronx for their first road trip of the season, Girardi sought out Didi Gregorius and shared what longtime fans know as the Mike Stanley story.
“I really like how he came up to me and told me he was in the same situation,” Gregorius told The Post on Wednesday. “He just wanted me to relax and play the game.”
Gregorius, acquired from Arizona in a three-way trade last December that sent pitcher Shane Greene to Detroit, has experienced considerable early-season turbulence in his effort to succeed the retired Derek Jeter at shortstop (while Greene has excelled for the Tigers). Gregorius owns a ghastly .172/.219/.172 slash line, he committed a pair of blaring base-running gaffes and though he officially has committed just one error, he has not appeared as steady defensively as he did in spring training.
“He looks tight,” said a scout who watched the Yankees drop two of three games to the Orioles at Camden Yards, thereby falling to 3-6 and last place in the American League East. On Friday night, they will start a three-game series with the Rays at Tropicana Field.
Asked whether he is relaxed, as per Girardi’s request, Gregorius said, “Yeah. I feel really good. Whatever happens, happens in the game. But [you] just go out there, got to give your best and try to get better.”
He is saying all of the right things. Then again, so did Girardi 19 years ago when the Yankees acquired him from the Rockies to be their everyday catcher and let Stanley, who had developed quite a Bronx following the three prior seasons as a power-hitting backstop, leave for Boston as a free agent.
Girardi began 1996 with a .243/.284/.329 line, which ramped up the boos and turned him into a talk-radio piñata (fortunately for Girardi, Twitter didn’t exist yet). He hung in there and wound up being a valuable contributor to the Yankees’ first World Series championship since 1978 — in the clinching World Series Game 6 victory, he drove in the contest’s first run with a triple off Atlanta’s future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. He stuck around for the 1998 and 1999 titles, and his popularity among fans helped him get the Yankees’ managing job upon Joe Torre’s departure in 2007.
“I think too many times, when you come [to New York], you try to be something you’re not,” Girardi said. “And there are expectations — expectations to win, that you’ll come in and you’re going to be perfect from Day 1. And I tried to be something that I wasn’t. I tried to hit home runs.
“I told [Gregorius], ‘Just be who you are. If you’re who you are, you’re going to be just fine. And we’re going to love you. Don’t try to do too much. I know it’s hard. You want to start off great. You’ve got your family in town. You’re in New York City. Sometimes, you can try too hard.’ ”
Of course, Mike Stanley doesn’t belong in the same discussion as Jeter when it comes to star power and legacy. History will remember Gregorius, no matter how he winds up, as the man who got the first shot to succeed Jeter. That wouldn’t be the case for Girardi had he not climbed out of his 1996 hole.
Then again, 2014 Jeter doesn’t belong in the same discussion as 1995 Stanley regarding who left a bigger void, production-wise. Girardi had to fill the void left by a catcher with pop. Gregorius merely must replace one of baseball’s worst everyday players from last year.
“I’m not going to start comparing myself to Jeter,” Gregorius said Wednesday.
He shouldn’t, though some silly fans chanted Jeter’s name at Gregorius during the last homestand.
For sure, Girardi’s discussion with Gregorius didn’t reap instant dividends. For sure, too, it is way too early to render judgment on Gregorius. That his manager knows this so well, and can relate to what Gregorius is experiencing, should theoretically help the turnaround efforts.
“And that’s why I really believe that Didi is going to be fine,” Girardi said. “I really think it’s a matter of trying to do too much too early.”
If it isn’t, then it will be considerably harder for the Yankees to do much of anything all season long.