text: In 2007, he played 54 games for the Double-A Trenton Thunder, though he missed time with a broken bone in his hand. In 203 at bats, he stole 18 bases (tied for fifth in the league; while being caught four times), hit five triples, and batted .300 with a .392 on-base percentage (OBP), before being promoted to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. There, in 45 games, he batted .260 with a .343 OBP, and stole 21 bases while being caught only three times.
  In fall 2007, he played in 26 games in the Arizona Fall League, leading it in runs (27) and stolen bases (16), while being caught stealing only once. He batted .343 (fifth in the league) with a .433 OBP (third) and was third in the league in walks with 17. In 2007, he was the 12th-best prospect in the Yankees minor league system according to Baseball America.
  Playing for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2008, in 94 games Gardner was second in the International League with a .414 on-base percentage, 70 walks, 11 triples, and was sixth in the IL with 37 stolen bases, while being caught only nine times.
  Through 2008 in the minor leagues, he had a .291 batting average and a .389 OBP.  He had stolen 153 bases, being caught only 31 times (an 83% success rate).
  New York Yankees