New York Yankees 2020 Projections: Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton is poised to bounce back and have a better season in 2020 than he did last year in 2019 because injuries plagued the All-Star outfielder.

The New York Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins after coming off his best season as a major leaguer. He hit 59 home runs and drove in 132 RBI. The Yankees acquired Stanton to help bolster their outfield and their lineup, hoping they would be the most dangerous lineup in the MLB. However, Stanton had a good first season in the Bronx, but last year was a disappointment.

Let’s start focusing on the positives of the Giancarlo Stanton trade that the Yankees made in the WInter before 2018.

Aaron Judge fractured his wrist in 2018, and Stanton was called upon to carry the Yankees into the playoffs. He did his job to help the lineup playing as consistently as they head into the postseason. During his first season, Stanton played in 158 games; he hit .266 during the season, 164 hits, 38 home runs, and 100 RBI.

Stanton had a good year for the Yankees in 2018, but there was also a negative aspect to his game. He stuck out 211 times in 2018, and many of those strikeouts were a result of the lack of plate discipline. Stanton would chase a lot of pitches out of the strike zone.

In the postseason, Stanton struggled at times. He hit a home run against the Oakland A’s in the WildCard game but would go on to have just four hits in four games against the Boston Red Sox.

The calendar turned to 2019, and last season was not very kind to Stanton. He spent most of the season on the IL, battling a variety of injuries. It didn’t seem like he would be returning to the lineup at all until 2020. He played in 18 for the Yankees last year with 17 hits, three home runs, 13 RBI and a .288 batting average. He struck out 24 times during 2019, which is still a lot for the amount of games he played.

Stanton did not have a good postseason again in 2019 as injuries kept him out of the lineup against the Houston Astros for almost the entire series.

I am not a fan of Stanton, and I think he is a waste of $20+ million. I do not deny the talent he possesses, though. I believe that for the money they are paying him, they can use that to extend Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Gio Urshela, Gary Sanchez, James Paxton, and Masahiro Tanaka. But they can’t move him unless he waives his no-trade clause or opts out of his contract, which I highly doubt, unfortunately.

If Stanton is healthy enough to play and is consistent, then he should have no problem finding success in 2020 and beyond for the Yankees. Time will tell.