5 Yankees with the most to prove heading into 2020

2020 will be critical for the Yankees slugger as he looks to prove the doubters wrong

OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton

A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece attempting to defend Giancarlo Stanton. There’s no doubt he is the most divisive Yankee on the roster and 2020 will be his most important season yet.

Stanton was expected to be the final piece of the puzzle after New York acquired him prior to the 2018 season. Stanton, coming off a 59 home run MVP season would be paired with 2017 Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge setting the franchise on a path to the promised land.

Two seasons into his Yankees career and Stanton hasn’t made the impact many expected him to make. Although his 2018 regular season was far from his MVP campaign, Stanton played in 158 games and proving to be the Yankees’ biggest power threat with 38 homers and 100 RBI.

Then, he fell apart in the postseason against the Boston Red Sox. He posted an abysmal .444 OPS in the series, managing just four hits, no walks, no extra-base hits and zero RBI.

Matters were made worse with an injury-plagued 2019 season with Stanton only able to play in 18 games.

Entering year three, Stanton has to prove he was a worthwhile investment. First and foremost, he will need to remain healthy. With the 2020 season put on hold back in March, Stanton is expected to be 100 percent healthy if the season begins. Stanton went down with a calf injury during spring training that would have sidelined him for the beginning of the season.

The injury bug has crushed Stanton for the past year and if he can overcome that, it would silence many critics. The next step for Stanton will be to handle the pressure of the postseason. He looked much more comfortable in 2019, even as he was hampered with injuries, the Minnesota Twins avoided throwing him strikes and he was able to smash a homer off of former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke.

While Stanton is set to be in pinstripes for the long haul, 2020 could change the unfair perception that follows him. The pressure is on and it will only get greater if he cannot put together the season fans are clamoring for.