A thinner Giancarlo Stanton can still hit the ball hard — the jury is still out on his durability — but his new physique has done little to improve his athleticism and speed.
The New York Yankees’ 2-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night provided yet another example when he was thrown out at second base after Austin Wells hit a ball to right field that fell in. Even though Stanton had to freeze to ensure the ball wasn’t caught, the out robbed Wells of a hit and the Yankees of a two-on, one-out threat with the Orioles leading 1-0.
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The play provided more fodder for WFAN’s Sal Licotta to rip Stanton for hurting the Yankees again.
“He’s just not a baseball player. They gotta move on from Stanton,” Licotta said, via Audacy. “Stanton is a major problem. He can’t do anything! He is a liability! He is going to run into some fastballs and hit some home runs sometimes — great. The Yankees don’t need that. They need a ballplayer. They need some flexibility at that position … he’s on the basepaths, he’s a liability. He can’t play a position, and he clogs up the DH spot. He is a liability.”
To be fair to Stanton, he has remained healthy and productive, at least compared to 2023. In 26 games and 104 plate appearances, Stanton has a .240/.298/.479 line with six home runs and 16 RBIs, production that has been worth a 120 OPS+. Still, his walk rate is down (7.7%), strikeout rate is up (30.8%) and speed is, well that’s not doing the word justice. His sprint speed, per Statcast, ranks in the sixth percentile, which is a two-percent improvement over last year, at least!
“He is a massive issue,” co-host Branton Tierney said. “The roster construction is not where it needs to be.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said during spring training that he expected Stanton to be more healthy and “more athletic. Being more of presence running the bases. More of a realistic option in the field.”
A month into the season, Stanton has checked off one of those boxes, but the athleticism and baserunning skills are likely long gone.
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