When someone hears the name Giancarlo Stanton, thoughts of mammoth home runs and numerous strikeouts may come to mind. With a past that is littered with seasons of success, the Yankees picked Stanton up in 2018 and had high hopes for the 6-foot-6, 245-pound outfielder. But the unfortunate truth is that the Yankees need the old Stanton back.
Coming off of the most potent season of his career in 2017, where he crushed 59 home runs, the Yankees made some moves to bring his talent to New York. In the season after the trade, Stanton performed at a very high level, which warranted the major price tag that the Yankees took over.
Playing essentially the entire season, he smashed another 38 home runs over the course of the year and also added 100 RBIs in the process. The only problem is that 2018, was the last season where he was essentially injury free.
The Injury Problem
While Stanton’s talent is widely undisputed, it is difficult to rate his value highly when he struggles to stay on the roster consistently. Injuries have struck Stanton multiple times and sat him down for an extended period of time essentially every year since his addition to the Yankees.
In the 2022 season, he only played 110 games, and experienced some harsh struggles at the plate to boot. For someone with the player dynamic that Stanton possesses, it is important to stay in the lineup and perform well offensively.
The unfortunate truth is that he struggled in both facets this season, and some would say he has let fans down. His strikeout rate was at an all-time high (35%) and his batting average fell to a career-low number, .211. These two statistics have become rather worrying, especially when considering that his defensive ability has faltered significantly as well.
Why This Matters
While his struggles have certainly stuck out like a sore thumb, it’s not all bad. He still managed to hit an impressive 31 home runs in his injury-filled 2022 season. His power is still at the top of his game despite his struggles with making consistent contact. But here’s the problem; power doesn’t mean anything if contact with the baseball isn’t being made. Keeping Stanton in the middle of the lineup, despite having quite possibly the worst overall season as far as consistency goes, almost makes him a $25 million liability.
His ability to hit the ball incredibly hard is well worth it to keep as long as he makes consistent contact and stays off the IL, but he has struggled with both recently. The truth is that his potential impact on the team’s offense is undeniable, but he hasn’t been the Giancarlo Stanton that the Yankees were expecting.
While no one was expecting him to duplicate his 2017 MVP performance, you have to imagine they were looking for a little bit more. It will be important for Stanton to bounce back, because the Yankees are desperate for his sky-high performance from years ago to return.
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Featured image courtesy of Jim McIsaac / Getty Images
Statistics courtesy of baseball-reference.com
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