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.