thelesterlee
The New York Yankees are now 10.5 games out of first place thanks to being swept by the Boston Red Sox over the weekend. Disgusting baseball being played by the guys in pinstripes but no one’s struggles stick out more than Giancarlo Stanton who looks like he’s terrified every time he steps into the batter’s box like I used to be when I played Little League for one game and then told my dad I’m quitting because I didn’t want to get hit with the ball.
In the 3 game sweep to the Boston Red Sox, Giancarlo Stanton recorded one double. That’s it. Literally. 12 at-bats. 1 hit. Struck out 6 times. 50% of his at-bats this weekend end with him striking out. Again, 1 hit. Word.
Stanton missed 6 weeks dealing with a hamstring injury and perhaps he’s still injured because he has been TRASH since returning to the lineup. In his 12 games back from the injured list, Stanton is batting .119 (5-for-42) with 15 strikeouts. He has 2 RBIs in 12 games.
For comparison’s sake, Gary Sanchez was cut by TWO TEAMS this year. Sanchez and Stanton both have 6 homers. One of those guys is a former NL MVP and the other was dangerously close to never being a professional baseball player again.
I remember when the Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton in exchange for Starlin Castro and like, some old Dave and Busters reward points. I nearly blacked out when the news crossed my timeline.
Aaron Judge just had an MVP season and the Yankees traded for an equally powerful, jacked slugger to pair with their new franchise star. Judge and Stanton were supposed to end opposing pitchers’ careers. Relief pitchers across the American League should’ve been cut left and right after getting jumped by Judge and Stanton.
Yeaaaa, that never fucking happened.
In 2019, Giancarlo Stanton hit 3 homers in 18 games. The following season, he hit 4 homers in 23 games. Mind you, Stanton hit 59 bombs and won the MVP the season before the Yankees acquired him. He hit 7 homers in 2 years.
While we’re on the topic of how disappointing Stanton’s Yankees tenure has been, it is still absurd to me how a man who is physically built like a horny gay teenager’s dream is incapable of ever playing the outfield.
The Yankees lose major roster flexibility because Stanton is attached to the DH position even though he is astronomically more athletic than anyone of the team.
Perhaps Stanton would produce more at the plate if he was allowed to play defense instead of sitting in the dugout all game long overthinking every single at-bat he has.
Yankees fans always point out when players can’t handle the pressures of playing in New York but the team doesn’t do shit to help ease their stress.
Have you noticed how great former Yankees perform the second they put on a different uniform? I’ve already mentioned Gary Sanchez’s resurgence but look at guys like Sonny Gray, Nathan Eovaldi and more recently, Aaron Hicks—who was batting .188 with the Yankees and instantly jumped up to .327 when he joined the Baltimore Orioles.
I want to blame Stanton for his shortcomings and he’s definitely not off the hook for his atrocious-looking swings but it’s obvious that the entire organization, top to bottom, is failing.
Everyone in the front office has lifelong job security.
Organizations with fresh, new cutting-edge ideas are competing for rings and the Yankees haven’t figured out how antiquated their approach is because Hal Steinbrenner inherited a team one day and has no idea what he’s doing so he’s relying on guys like Brian Cashman and Randy Levine—who are stealing paychecks from the failson they know they can gaslight for the rest of their careers.
But I don’t want to take all the blame off Stanton.
His inability to stay healthy is a problem. His inability to make contact with a baseball in a problem. He should be swatting 100 homers a year with how hard his swing is but he looks shook and unprepared. It’s like he’s in a hurry to get back to the dugout.
With Aaron Judge on the injured list, this team desperately needs Giancarlo to put the team on his gigantic back and he’s welting under the weight of these expectations. I guess that’s where my frustration with him stems from.
At 33 years old, Stanton should be loving and embracing this time. He worked his whole life to be sitting in the middle of the order for the New York Yankees with the entire team relying on him. This is the goal for literally every kid trying out for the JV baseball team at their local high school.
But instead of embracing and thriving in what should be the prime of his life and his career, Stanton is playing like he’s nervous about maybe leaving the stove on at his house. Stanton is playing like his girlfriend texted him “We need to talk” right before he got to the on-deck circle.
The organization is failing the players but at the end of the day, Stanton is a grown ass man who should be able to snap out of a hitting slump but I just don’t think he wants any part of the burden of being the best player on a winning team.
Aaron Judge is the only hitter on this team that rises to the occasion and Giancarlo wants nooooooone of that.
Why do you guys think Giancarlo Stanton is struggling? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let’s try to save this man’s career.
