At this point in his career New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton shouldn’t have that much to prove.
But, there may be no player in Yankees camp that has more to prove in spring training than Stanton, according to a recent article at MLB.com.
The piece highlighted one player that has the most to prove in each camp. Stanton enters this season hoping to prove that he can turn around his recent decline.
Last season was a career-worst year for Stanton, who was only able to play in 101 games due to injuries. When he played, he was not effective, as he slashed .191/.275/.420/.695 with 24 home runs and 60 RBI.
To be truthful, this was the second half of a two-year decline for Stanton. In 2022 he slashed 211/.297/.462/.759 with 31 home runs and 78 RBI. He still made the American League All-Star team, but his production didn’t reflect it.
Stanton has played just one season of more than 150 games since he arrived in New York before the 2018 season. That 2018 season was what the Yankees were hoping for when they made the deal for the former National League MVP — he slashed .266/.343/.509/.852 with 38 home runs and 100 RBI.
It’s reached the point where Yankees management expect Stanton to get hurt, according to general manager Brian Cashman, who made those comments in November at the MLB general managers’ meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Stanton has said publicly that his 2023 production was unacceptable. This offseason he’s prioritized diet and conditioning as opposed to building strength. Cashman has already complimented a “leaner” Stanton, saying that he’s “worked his tail off this winter.”
That is of benefit to the Yankees, but also to Stanton, who is 34 and has four years left on his 13-year, $325 million contract.
Stanton has to prove he can stay healthy this season. If he can, then the Yankees might just get the 2018 version of Stanton, the one that can make a big difference in the batting order.
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