Giancarlo Stanton didn’t defend his season Wednesday night, but he did defend his work ethic and showed an openness to alter.
A media session that lasted lower than three minutes was revealing in regards to the Yankees slugger amid his worst season.
Stanton, whose average sunk to a startling .188 and his OPS to .694 after he had one other 0-for-4 night within the Yankees’ 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays in The Bronx, gave a review of his statistics likely consistent with that of fans.
When he glances on the scoreboard and sees his batting average, Stanton said, he thinks, “Terrible.”
He’s now 2-for-39 with 17 strikeouts in his past 11 games.
Last season had been the worst of his profession, and he finished with a relatively monstrous .211 average and .759 OPS.
As his hitting has fallen off, attention has turned to Stanton’s slow baserunning, a deliberate try and avoid injuries equivalent to the hamstring strain that cost him a month and a half earlier this season.
He bounced into two slow-developing double plays Tuesday, after which manager Aaron Boone, who was ejected within the Yankees’ loss, said they’d must “look into” adjustments which may enable Stanton to be freer — and, presumably, faster — on the bases.
Stanton signaled he’s open to those adjustments.
“Can’t produce like this season, so gotta change,” said Stanton, who’s signed through 2027.
A prodigious hitter with 402 profession home runs, Stanton has looked far older than his 33 years.
His performance has not been a results of an absence of effort, he contended.
“Numerous things I’ve set to work and adjust on,” Stanton said on an evening when he made three outs with runners in scoring position. “But in the event you guys think I’m just showing up and going on the market and never working, then I don’t know what to let you know.”
Several analytical numbers are kinder to Stanton than his batting average.
He still is stinging the ball.
He’s hitting the ball on the bottom less often than in past years.
He’s striking out lower than he did in 2018, when he received MVP votes in his first 12 months with the Yankees.
Why have higher results not followed?
“I’m undecided,” said Stanton, who has in some way been a below-average hitter serving as designated hitter the vast majority of the time.
Stanton has been streaky for many of his six seasons in The Bronx, able to going from ice-cold to red-hot straight away.
Each the slugger and his team have awaited considered one of those hot streaks, nevertheless it has not are available in a lost season.
“There’s obviously quite a lot of conversation available there,” Boone said. “Hopefully … having winter to grow from this and to make whatever adjustments to place he and us in a greater situation heading into next 12 months, where … we get the more consistent Giancarlo that I think continues to be in there.”
