Yankees: Defending Giancarlo Stanton

Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has become public enemy number one

Giancarlo Stanton is entering his third season in the Bronx. As much as New York Yankees fans can fall head over heels for players like Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge, the fan base can display equal frustration and vitriol to players wearing the very same uniform.

For many fans, resentment following three painful postseason exits has somehow fallen on the shoulders of one man, Giancarlo Stanton.

Go ahead, scroll through social media and see fans clamoring on and on about Stanton’s health, hefty price tag, and his approach at the plate.

Maybe it’s just a vocal minority or it could be that he has already earned the prestigious honor as the next player that Yankees fans will unjustly dislike. Whatever the reason for the animosity, Stanton deserves more credit and patience heading into the 2020 season.

Remember, Stanton was booed just weeks into his Yankees career. In April 2018, after striking out five times, boos rained down from the stands. Impatient Yankees fans with unrealistic expectations already found themselves fed up with Stanton.

Now I admit, at the time, I was frustrated too. After New York overachieved in 2017 and found itself one game away from the World Series, I foolishly thought the addition of a former NL MVP to pair alongside Judge was the recipe for a 28th ring immediately.

Through all that Stanton had to endure through two seasons, he enters the 2020 campaign with fans ready to chastise his every move. Stanton doesn’t have the homegrown aspect on his side, he makes more money than every player minus Gerrit Cole and already missed an entire season thanks to a handful of freak injuries.

Ther expectations should be high for Stanton. Fans should expect top-tier numbers but to be already casting him off as a luxury and a failed addition is misguided.