It was a disappointing 2023 season for Giancarlo Stanton and the New York Yankees.
Headed into 2024, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and manager Aaron Boone are expecting bigger things from Stanton this season, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic:
“‘Impressive to see him back doing what he does,' Judge said.
‘He’s looked good all spring from the start,' manager Aaron Boone said. ‘I feel he’s been in control of his at-bats. (Wednesday night), he was really precise, and when he’s like that, he’s pretty scary.'
‘I just see a guy in the batter’s box who’s a lot calmer in his approach,' hitting coach James Rowson said. ‘I think I’m watching a guy who’s not very anxious to do things but it’s more about allowing the game to come to him a little bit. I think his alignment at the plate is very good, just in terms of making sure his torso is squared up. I think he’s kind of checking the boxes of being in a good position to hit. Now, it’s a matter of seeing more pitches.'”
Stanton also has lost significant weight. While the move was made with the goal of staying on the field longer, it also is clearly affecting his performance so far in 2024.
Boone thinks he knows the reason why, again per Kuty.
“‘I think he went into this offseason pissed off,' the manager said.
When a reporter suggested that Stanton had “a bit” of a chip on his shoulder coming into this season, Boone countered that he had “a lot of a chip.”
‘I’d say there’s an added edge to him,” Boone said.'”
So far this spring, Stanton has looked like a different player than the one that struggled for the underachieving Yankees in 2023. Stanton is hitting .314 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 12 games and 35 at-bats this spring.
A disappointing 2023
There's no denying that the Yankees were disappointed in Stanton last season.
His performance was a major problem. The slugger did hit 24 home runs in 415 plate appearances, but they came along with a horrible .191/.275/.420 line and a career-worst .695 OPS.
His OPS, in fact, has been trending down for a while: it was .870 in 2021, .759 last year, and .695 in the season that just ended. He has surpassed 400 trips to the plate in those three campaigns, a better record of health than in 2019-2020, but Stanton has not produced like the feared hitter of old when on the field.
It's good news that the Yankees are happy with what they're seeing out of Stanton this spring. It's not often that 34-year-old hitters turn around such a decline. Being surrounded in the lineup by Judge and newly acquired Juan Soto should give him ample RBI opportunities.
What would matter most to Stanton is winning a World Series. he's maintained that as his goal since he arrived in New York and hasn't achieved the feat yet.
Could 2024 be the year?
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