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The New York Yankees have no shortage of giant players on their roster. Whether it is the hulking Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, or even Joey Gallo, the roster is full of big guys with plenty of power. This can make selecting a designated hitter difficult. Typically, DHs are a team's greatest power bat who may not be a tremendous fielder (think David Ortiz a.k.a. “Big Papi). But the Yankees have a number of players who fit that description.
Stanton was the main candidate to fill in the DH spot but manager Aaron Boone announced on Tuesday that Stanton would spend a lot of time on the outfield, according to Yankees reporter Erik Boland.
Boone said he sees Stanton playing OF “a decent amount.”
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) March 15, 2022
The Yankees have high aspirations for the 2022 campaign therefore finding a way to best implement each player is critical for Boone and the coaching staff. In the past, Stanton seemed to be far more engaged when playing the outfield instead of just taking four or five at-bats per game. He even stated during a hot stretch during the 2021 campaign that playing the outfield “helped kind of not just focusing on hitting.”
The slugger posted a very respectable .273 batting average while clubbing 35 home runs and driving in 97 runs last season. Those numbers are even more impressive when you remember that he missed some time due to injury. But one has to wonder how much those numbers might improve if Stanton sees consistent playing time in the field and is able to stay healthy in 2022. If all of these factors come to fruition there is a strong opportunity that Stanton could receive MVP votes when the campaign comes to an end.
