For the past three seasons Melky Cabrera has been the up and coming Yankee center fielder. The team believed in him so much they called him up on the anniversary of the day that Bernie Williams was first called to the Bronx.

But a season full of disappointments has found Melky in Scranton and in his place is the speedy 24-year-old Brett Gardner. In his first cup of coffee in the Bronx Gardner underwhelmed everyone with his .143 batting average and .373 OPS through his first 16 games.

Now in his second stint with the team he has already gotten off to a hot start by going 5-for-14 and he even picked up a game winning hit.

Hot Stove NY sat down with Gardner this week and discussed what it was like to struggle during his first shot with the Yanks and what he expects through the rest of the way. Enjoy.

Hot Stove: What was your first major league experience like?

Brett Gardner: It was a great experience. It was a lot of fun and obviously it’s a dream of everyone’s to play major league baseball and it was definitely a dream come true.

HS: How did you handle getting sent back down to the minors after just 16 games?

BG: Getting sent down can be a little frustrating, but at the same time you’ve just got to make the most of it. I’ve tried to use my time there as a learning experience and worked on the things that I needed to work on to improve my game.

HS: What are some of the things that you’ve been looking to improve on?

BG: I need to just keep hitting. I’m trying to have quality at bats and be consistent with my swing and be a little more aggressive early in the count and look to drive some balls.

HS: You struggled for the 16 games you played in during your first trip to the majors, but Melky Cabrera also struggled during the same time period. Were you upset at all that you were the one sent down?

BG: To be honest with you I try not to worry about stuff I can’t control. I just come in here every day and try to improve my game and beyond that I can’t really control everything.

HS: After a good start to the season in Trenton last year you were promoted to Scranton and had a weak finish to the season. Now this year you’ve done very well there and opened some eyes, what has changed in the past year?

BG: Your number one goal is to stay in the lineup every day to continue to give yourself opportunities to succeed. I think that I’m a better player now than I was a few months ago. I can’t really pick out one particular thing that I’ve improved on. All around I feel like I’m more confident out there and I feel like when the opportunity comes up again to contribute at that level I’ll be ready for it.

HS: Where do you expect to be next year? Do you think you’ll be in the Yankees starting lineup?

BG: Next season is a long ways away. I don’t really know, so much happens. There is still a long way to go in this season and so many things happen in the off-season. Who knows where I’ll be or what the situation will be like next year. Obviously my goal is to play in the major leagues. Hopefully I’ll be back at some point this season and next year have a good spring training and have a good camp and hopefully stay in the major leagues all year next year.

HS: What did you think of your performance during your first call up?

BG: I had some good at bats and I struggled at times. I was in a little slump while I was up there. I tried to continue to carry over from my season up to that point and I was seeing the ball really well. I just wasn’t swinging the bat real well. That was the most frustrating thing about it because I had that opportunity and I really didn’t take advantage of it.

HS: Why do you think you struggled?

BG: Obviously there are a lot of different variables that come into play when you struggle like that. I wasn’t swinging the bat well to be honest. I wasn’t swinging like I’m capable of and I probably was trying to be a little too patient at the plate and pretty much every at bat I just got behind and got into a hole. Once you get in a hole against guys pitching at that level it’s tough because they have so many different ways to get you out.

HS: After getting your first chance and missing it will you be playing with a chip on your shoulder the rest of the season?

BG: I kind of always play with a chip on my shoulder because this game doesn’t really owe me anything. I owe everything to this game for giving me an opportunity to play and I’ve been fortunate enough to have been blessed to play a game for a living. I’m just lucky to be here and I like playing baseball and if this is where I have to finish the season so be it. Everybody’s goal is to play in the major leagues and not everybody can do that.

Many thanks to Brett Gardner for taking the time to speak with us.

For more exclusive interviews, check out Rob’s sit down with Shelley Duncan.