Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Giancarlo Stanton Starts Slow... Nothing New


Okay Yankees fans, listen. Giancarlo Stanton has started his Yankees tenure a little slow and with a few more strikeouts than we, the fans, are comfortable with. You know what I say to that? So what? It is nothing new for Stanton and the man wearing the #27 in pinstripes has been exactly what he was when the team acquired him, a bit of a slow starter, but a finisher.

In the upcoming months, Stanton will improve and therefore, the Yankees' odds on winning the World Series will get better. Keep track of those odds through reliable sports books listed over at My Top Sportsbooks. They're easy to navigate and have been reviewed by experienced users.
Let's take a look at a month-by-month breakdown of what Stanton has done throughout his career with the Miami Marlins and the New York Yankees, courtesy of Baseball Reference.

March/April: .252/.341/.494/.835 with 38 home runs in 170 games
May: .277/.362/.587/.949 with 49 home runs in 162 games
June: .268/.346/.513/.859 with 44 home runs in 190 games
July: .262/.369/.573/.942 with 44 home runs in 158 games
August: .283/.381/.620/1.001 with 56 home runs in 168 games
September/October: .263/.358/.539/.898 with 39 home runs in 152 games

And for your reference here are Stanton's stats through 15 games:

.210/.310/.435/.735 with three home runs and 10 RBI. The keyword being FIFTEEN games.

As you can see it is nothing new for Stanton to heat up the warmer it gets outside, and that was down in Miami where it is generally a lot warmer than in New York. There is no reason why Stanton won't and can't do that again in 2018, at least if he is given the backing by the fans of the New York Yankees. Us. Stop booing the guy, support the guy, and ride his bat all the way to October... just like it was intended all along. World Series Championships are not won in March and April, and if I were a betting man I would bet on the Yankees being right in the thick of things in September and October, due in large part to the slow starting Stanton.

Fishing is Not For Everyone...

Photo Credit: Getty Images
Giancarlo Stanton takes a pass…

Although the Yankees clobbered the Miami Marlins, 12-1, on Monday night at Yankee Stadium, it is probably not a game Giancarlo Stanton will want to remember. He was the only regular without a hit against the Fish although he did score a run after being hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning, thanks to a Gregoriusly beautiful home run by the Yankees shortstop.

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Elsa)
Stanton is used to being “The Man” but here he is being picked up by his teammates on nearly a daily basis, much to the dissatisfaction of the Yankee Stadium crowd. He had two more strikeouts with his ‘O-fer’ night. The one thing I learned about Yankees fans, they’ll boo their own players when they passionately care. Yes, they’ll boo for players who suck too but everyone wants Stanton to succeed. The home crowd has yet to see the real Gone-carlo. There’s no doubt he will achieve great success in the Bronx but the journey in Pinstripes is not an easy one. 


It’s way too early to say Stanton is not meant for New York. As Marlins manager Don Mattingly said about playing in NYC, “You struggle, you pay, that’s all there is to it. It’s a day-in, day-out place. It doesn’t matter what you did last year. I’m not surprised by it, but also in the same sense, I know it changes once he gets his feel and stuff like that.”

While everyone focused on Stanton’s performance against his old team, poor Starlin Castro went under the radar with his 0-for-3 night. I am sure it was a tough and emotional evening for All-Starlin who most likely would have preferred being in the opposing dugout with his former mates.  

It would be nice for Giancarlo go yard tonight against the Fish but it won’t be the end of the World if he doesn’t. He’ll have another shot at his friends and former teammates when the Yankees travel to Miami in late August. I am sure playing in front of the Miami fans will carry much deeper meaning for Stanton. Hopefully by then, Stanton will be crushing pitchers like we know he can. 

What can you say about Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius? In one word, spectacular. Aaron Judge’s home run in the second inning was his fourth of the year and 60th in 197 games (the fastest player in MLB history to record sixty career homers). Didi’s two home runs were his second multi-homer game of the season, and the sixth time in fifteen games that a Yankee player has hit two home runs in a game. Didi now leads the Yankees with five home runs on the season. Where is that flawed hitter the Yankees acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks a few years ago? The only flaw these days are rainouts which keep the Yankees great shortstop off the field. Didi continues to amaze...and get better. 

I know Manny Machado is a great player and younger than Didi Gregorius but I’d rather lock up #18 on an extension and use resources in the off-season to strengthen starting pitching and the bullpen. Well, if Stanton continues to struggle, I’d trade him to Los Angeles after the season and sign Bryce Harper but that’s beside the point. The Yankees do not need Machado if his heart is set on playing short for the immediate future and I do not feel that Gregorius should be asked to move to another position to make room. I am still hopeful that either Miguel Andujar or Brandon Drury provide the long-term answer at third but as it stands, third base would be the only spot I’d keep for Machado. Didi is the Yankees shortstop…period and end of story. 

Photo Credit: SI.com
The Yankees made a surprise move yesterday when they re-signed Jace Peterson to a major league contract. He was in uniform last night and was a late inning replacement. The Yankees had an open spot on the active roster when they optioned Luis Cessa to Triple A on Sunday and did not immediately make a corresponding move. The spot of the 40-man roster was open when the Yankees waived Shane Robinson after his brief appearance with the big league club.  Robinson was subsequently sent outright to Triple A. The Yankees had waived Peterson when Robinson was added to the 25-man roster but after clearing waivers, Peterson elected free agency over minor league reassignment. So, his re-signing caught me by surprise. Eventually, Peterson will be the odd man out and will lose his seat at the table, perhaps for good as a Yankee, if/when the guys on the DL return to good health.    

Congratulations to the great Gleyber Torres! He has been recognized as the International League Player of the Week (the first weekly award of the young season). In his first ten games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Torres batted .385 (15-for-39) with a homer and ten RBI’s.

Gleyber caused a stir last night when he was pulled from the RailRiders game due to “stiffness”. I am sure there are a few jokes that could be driven from that term (e.g., his girlfriend didn’t mind), but from what I’ve been able to determine, the removal from the game was primarily caution-driven.  It was a cold night and there was no reason to risk the health of one of baseball’s top prospects. Gleyber will be re-evaluated today but at this point there does not seem to be any cause for concern or at the very least I hope not. The Gleyber Torres to the Bronx Watch will become magnified after tonight's game as any MLB service time will extend free agency by a year.  

Jacoby Ellsbury has yet another ailment? Seriously? I guess now he has a sore heel  in addition to the injured hip. I honestly cannot keep up with his current maladies. Wasn't there something else prior to the hip injury?  Who knows?  Who cares. When can we cut bait and move on? The biggest hope I have for Ellsbury at this point is the honor to place the word “former” in front of the word “Yankee” when describing the brittle outfielder. 


Hopefully today will be a new and better day for Giancarlo Stanton. Masahiro Tanaka (2-1, 5.19 ERA) takes the mound looking for better results than his last outing when he gave up six runs to the Boston Red Sox despite grabbing the win. Tanaka will be opposed by Miami’s Jarlin Garcia (0-0, 1.13 ERA). Garcia should change his name to Jarlin Castro to make things interesting.

Never a better time to have a Fish fry in the Bronx than tonight…Go Yankees!