Yankees: Defending Giancarlo Stanton

How soon we forget how great Giancarlo Stanton can be

Let’s flashback to the 2018 season.

Immediately, Stanton comes through in his first game with New York, hitting a pair of homers. He quickly falls back down to earth and hits just .230/.313/.425 in March and April.

Quickly, Stanton returns to form, shaking off the early season racket fans caused at Yankee Stadium, a place where players are typically supported.

Even with the backlash, he is in the lineup every night, grinding as the 2018 Yankees won 100 games. Although his numbers were down from his career year in 2017, Stanton still led the Yankees in home runs and RBI.

Here is where I am going to note that he led the team in games played? Stanton saw the field in 158 games that season, something fans who criticize his availability love to ignore.

Plus, Stanton was at his best when he was needed most in 2018. As Judge recovered from an injury he suffered at the end of July, Stanton, through all of August, had his best stretch of the season. He hit nine homers, drove in 20 runs, and posted a .267/.372/.578 line.

At this point in the season, the Yankees started to show some cracks in their armor. Boston came into the Bronx and swept a four-game series to kick off August and New York needed a steady presence in the middle of the order down the stretch run.

Despite being booed in his first home series as a Yankee, adjusting to a new league, playing in the first meaningful baseball games of his entire career, and facing an entirely new type of pressure in the Bronx, Stanton found his groove at the perfect time.

Of course, it’s hard to ignore Stanton’s postseason performance in 2018. He struck out with runners on in the deciding game of the ALDS and didn’t perform well earlier in the postseason.

There’s no denying that Stanton’s struggles against Boston in the Division Series played a role in the Yankees’ early playoff exit. However, it is overblown. New York’s starting pitching was horrendous for a pair of games. J.A. Happ gave up five runs in two innings and  Luis Severino led the Yankees to the most lopsided Yankees postseason loss in franchise history by a score of 16-1.

The following season Stanton looked prepared and answered all the questions surrounding his ability to play postseason baseball in New York. He walked four times in 11 plate appearances as the Yankees took easy care of the Minnesota Twins.

Stanton showed so much emotion during that series too. In Game 1 of the ALDS, he walked to load the bases and spiked his bat with such authority it felt like he was ready to put the frustration of his past two seasons behind him.

With just a handful of games under his belt in the regular season, Stanton’s high on-base percentage (.455) proved how dangerous a hitter he remained in the eyes of the Twins staff and manager Rocco Baldelli.

Stanton appeared ready to bring his power into play in the ALCS after he took former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke deep in Game 1 but the injury bug had the last word and he would miss the majority of the series. Injury aside, Stanton proved the postseason wasn’t too big for him.

Giancarlo Stanton: Fluke injuries or a glimpse into the future?

The overarching feeling among Stanton’s faultfinders is his reliability, thanks to multiple soft tissue injuries he suffered a year ago.

Stanton played in only 18 regular-season games in 2019. A litany of injuries left him rehabbing for practically the entire year. After recovering from torn biceps in June, Stanton would sprain his right PCL a week later. That injury would send his season off the rails.

During his rehab process, Stanton would face several setbacks, including a minor league pitcher hitting him with a pitch, adding another month to a frustrating process.

Still, Stanton fought to get ready for the postseason and made his impact right away. Of course, Stanton wouldn’t be able to build on a strong start to his playoffs, thanks to a rushed rehab process, as Yankees general manager Brian Cashman would note after the season.

That fight is something Stanton has carried with him throughout his career. As the author of “Inside the Empire: The True Power Behind the New York Yankees,” Bob Klapisch explored for NJ.com, Stanton had to battle back from what was a life-threatening injury after he took a Mike Fiers pitch to the face in 2014.

Yankees fans don’t give enough credit for his toughness and perseverance. Even with setback after setback, Stanton clawed his way onto the 2019 postseason roster.

Stanton is aware of the situation. His comments after suffering a quad injury early in spring training are a testament to his dedication and passion towards the team’s success.

“It makes it seem that I don’t take care of myself,’’ Stanton said. “It makes it that much more frustrating.’’

Of course, that injury would have sidelined him if the 2020 campaign started out as planned. COVID-19 had other plans and manager Aaron Boone has said Stanton will be ready to play when baseball returns.

The 2020 season and beyond will tell if his health will be a problem in the future but a look through his career shows that the narrative around his health is simply false.

When ignoring his rookie season where he was called up in the middle of the campaign and his 2019 season, Stanton has played in 130 games per season. Judge through his first three full seasons sits at 123 games per year, for comparison.

Yankees need to have patience with Giancarlo Stanton

The Yankees franchise itself is built with a win-now mindset and the Yankees faithful follow suit. Patience isn’t always in our vocabulary. However, it probably is best to be patient with Stanton. After all, Stanton will be in pinstripes for a decade when it’s all set and done.

Stanton is under contract with the Yankees until 2028. Instead of harboring on one season where injuries piled on, how about defending a player who will play an integral role in bringing a World Series Championship back to the Bronx.

The bottom line for Stanton is simple. No argument is going to please Stanton’s critics unless he helps lead the Yankees to a World Series. It’s easy to see how Stanton’s tenure in New York will follow a similar path to that of A-Rod, pre-steroid scandal.

Throughout the mid-2000s, Rodriguez won a pair of MVPs, helped lead the way to numerous AL East Division titles but it still wasn’t enough. However, it would all pay off with a historic performance in the 2009 postseason and a 27th Championship for the organization.

With time and what appears to be a loaded roster in 2020, Stanton is going to have the chance to cement his legacy in pinstripes and silence all of the doubters. After two seasons, Stanton’s tenure can best be defined as a mixed bag.

Unfairly, that mixed bag has already left a portion of the fan base labeling him a disappointment. Luckily, there is plenty of time for Stanton to silence the doubters.