New York Yankees' Brett Gardner Associated Press

When Brett Favre, the former quarterback, was at his cannon-armed peak, he was commonly referred to as a "gunslinger"—a man who believed in his gifts and would try to make any throw, no matter how unlikely, whatever the consequences. It was part of what made him great.

Brett Gardner plays center field like a gunslinger. Every time a ball flies high in the air, Gardner thinks he can get to it. Sometimes, that makes Gardner crazy. Most of the time, it's what makes him one of the best in the game.

"He doesn't have a fear of anything," Yankee left fielder Vernon Wells said. "He can go after balls sometimes a little too hard—he's not afraid to run through walls."

Wells knows of what he speaks. He won three Gold Gloves in center from 2004 to 2006, and in Gardner, Wells sees the innate confidence, and yes, cockiness, that makes for the best defensive players.

"To be a successful outfielder, you have to think you can catch every ball—until that wall stops you," Wells said. "When you talk to him, he's as confident as anyone there is. He feels like he can do anything on the baseball field, and that's something you can't teach. You just have to have it—and he has it."

Blessed with extreme speed, and continually honing his outfield instincts, Gardner was a strong center fielder in 2009 until Curtis Granderson's arrival prompted the Yankees to move the 29-year-old to left in 2010. But Granderson regressed over time, and Gardner played such a superlative left field that the Yankee brass decided this spring that they needed Gardner in center.

Now, Gardner is taking his place among the best defensive center fielders in baseball. By Ultimate Zone Rating, a defensive statistic that measures range, arm, and errors made, Gardner ranks as the second-best center fielder in the American League this season, behind Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain.

He acknowledges that what Wells says is true: He thinks he can get to every ball.

"I think if a ball goes up in the air, and there's a chance of getting to it, you want to make that play," Gardner said. "It doesn't matter if there's runners on base, or the bases are empty. You've got to make that play. That's what you're out there for, and I think the pitchers really appreciate it."

This week, the ups and downs of that relentless mentality have been on display in the Subway Series against the Mets. On Monday at Citi Field, Gardner rocketed after a ball off the bat of David Wright. It proved out of reach, and Gardner crashed headfirst into a padded pylon in right-center as the ball bounced away. He ended up kneeling on the ground, briefly dazed, as Wright cruised into third with a triple.

But a few innings later, the gunslinger came through. Gardner tracked a ball off the bat of Met Daniel Murphy, leapt high in the air above the wall and brought it back inside the park. Pitcher Phil Hughes gratefully said that it was "the best catch I've ever been on the mound for, by far."

Gardner wasn't done. The next night, Murphy tested Gardner again, with a long drive to the warning track in left-center. Gardner raced to run it down—and just barely snagged the ball in his glove. Murphy was beside himself.

"I got a couple text messages about that, you know, 'Gardner keeps robbing you.' He's a great player, maybe I should try to hit it somewhere else," Murphy said.

Gardner he couldn't stifle a smile when asked about the damage he did to Murphy's batting average this week.

"I don't think he's too happy with me right now," Gardner grinned.

The ultimate validation of defensive excellence is a Gold Glove, awarded to the fielders at each position in each league. Many think Gardner should have won the award in 2011—"It's an honor to be brought up in that conversation and for people to think that I should have won it," he said—and Gardner admitted that he'd love to add the award to his mantle sometime in his career.

Baltimore's Adam Jones won the AL center-field award last season. Wells said Gardner is getting to the point where he must be acknowledged as a challenger. "I think he's quickly moving up that chart," Wells said.

At this rate, Gardner could claim one sooner rather than later. Voters remember the highlight catches and the game-saving plays—and Gardner, with his unshakable confidence and blazing speed, isn't afraid to go for it all.

Write to Daniel Barbarisi at