Bleeding Yankee Blue: IT'S A STANTONIAN HOME RUN

Sunday, March 10, 2019

IT'S A STANTONIAN HOME RUN

Source: SNY

By now you have probably seen it or heard about it: Giancarlo Stanton's monstrous home run in Tampa on Friday night against the Detroit Tigers. He got all of it and then some as the laser home run made its way into the parking lot outside of George Steinbrenner Field. This is home run may have ignited more than just excitement from the team and its fans. It might just be what Stanton needed to jump start himself to be New York City-ready in 2019.

"Some of the expected improvement from Stanton in 2019 is perceived to be derived from attaining a comfort level in New York. It is true that Stanton and many other players endure an adjustment period when coming to the Yankees. This might have been believed to be more so a potential issue with Stanton, who came from Miami -- where the focus was to get through the season rather than win a World Series. In New York, media and fan attention focuses on each box score, which inherently increases an individual's internal pressure to perform day in and day out," reported SNY.com prior to the Stantonian home run on Friday night.

There is something to be said for Stanton, whether you respect him, like him or appreciate his contributions to the team or not. He never hid from the press, he never made any excuses for his slumps or late production during last season. He also appeared in 158 out of 162 games in 2018 for the Yankees. He pushed through hamstring soreness and other smaller injuries related to overuse and even worked harder with Aaron Judge out multiple weeks after he suffered a broken wrist.

Source: USA Today

"Here, Stanton demonstrated an impressive will to help his club and the ability to carry it for an extended period. At one stretch from June 4 to August 24 (72 games, while hobbled in parts), Stanton dug extremely deep and went on an extended hot stretch in which he hit .313, with a .383 OBP and .589 SLG, including 20 homers and 50 RBI," reported SNY.com.

Source: NY Times

I would take three more Giancarlo Stantons versus players who don't hustle, make excuses and don't push through overuse soreness injuries knowing that these are part of the game. He doesn't blame, he is respectful of his teammates and the media in New York. Part of the deal of playing for the Yankees is that the spotlight is always on you and he has accepted that and handled it with grace and professionalism.

I am rooting for Stanton to have a great season, not just for the team, but for himself. Here's hoping that this Stantonian home run is one of many key hits and RBIs we see from him in 2019.