Even before Giancarlo Stanton homered for a fourth time within the five-game ALCS on Saturday night in Cleveland, the narrative surrounding his tenure with the Yankees had been altered by one other stellar October performance.
And despite the roller-coaster ride that has been Stanton’s seven years in The Bronx, general manager Brian Cashman said there have been no second thoughts concerning the move to acquire the oft-injured slugger and his massive contract from the Marlins prior to the 2018 season.
“I never had any regrets about acquiring Giancarlo Stanton,” Cashman said before Game 5 at Progressive Field.
A number of hours later, the Yankees advanced to their first World Series since 2009, thanks not only to Juan Soto’s three-run homer that gave them the lead in the highest of the tenth, however the game-tying two-run shot Stanton delivered within the sixth inning against Tanner Bibee, who fanned Stanton twice earlier in the sport.
“[Stanton] has been a component of our solution, not a part of our problem,’’ Cashman said of the slugger, who was named ALCS MVP. “Within the Octobers we haven’t gone so far as we desired to and hoped to, it wasn’t due to him. He did his part.”
There’s no denying Stantons’s excellence within the postseason.
In 36 profession playoff games, Stanton has hit an astounding 16 homers over 149 plate appearances. He has a 1.019 OPS.
Soto, who has 10 home runs in 38 playoff games, has a .906 postseason OPS and had his best October series of his profession within the ALCS, with three home runs — including Saturday’s dagger.
And Aaron Judge is at .761.
But Stanton hasn’t played greater than 114 games or had greater than 459 plate appearances in an everyday season since 2021. And with him turning 35 next month, it’s hard to see that changing.
Stanton has three years left on his deal and rebounded from the worst season of his profession.
“Last yr was the primary time he didn’t really perform as a healthy player,’’ Cashman said of a 2023 season that was brutal for each Stanton (.695 OPS, 24 HRs in 101 games) and the Yankees. “When he’s feeling good and on the sector, he’s at all times a threat. Even prior to this yr, October has at all times brought out the perfect in him. That’s why we acquired him years ago: To have him on the sector and be a force in the course of the lineup. He’s essential to where we wish to go.”
And, perhaps somewhat surprisingly to outside observers, no Yankee has turn into a greater spokesman for the team and its goals — or goal — this postseason.
While teammates and coaches often speak of the single-minded give attention to winning a World Series title in The Bronx for the primary time since 2009, nobody has put it more succinctly than Stanton on multiple occasions.
From Friday night’s response about the way it felt to get inside a game of the World Series: “It looks like nothing until we get it done. So far as I’m concerned, we haven’t done nothing;” to Saturday’s similar attitude about advancing past the ALCS and winning the series MVP: “It is a special moment for me, but this ain’t the trophy I would like. I would like the following one.”
And all of it comes after Stanton’s best overall yr since ’21 — a season by which he served exclusively as a DH.
In years past, whilst Stanton battled lower-body injuries, he would occasionally play the outfield. On Saturday, Cashman said not having Stanton play defense was not a goal heading into the season.
As an alternative, it was a results of how the roster was built, with the offseason additions of outfielders Soto and Trent Grisham from San Diego and Alex Verdugo from Boston.
“It wasn’t the plan to not play him,” Cashman said. “There just wasn’t a spot for him to exit.”
The Yankees won the AL East and are within the World Series largely since the slimmed-down Stanton contributed throughout the season and playoffs and he’s set to enter the World Series because the toast of the town.
“I believe the narrative of his profession is the narrative of the Yankees,” Cashman said. “When he’s playing well, he’s appreciated and when he’s not playing well, the boobirds come out. It’s true of the team and the person, and whenever you make quite a lot of money, there’s loads more abuse. It’s the character of the beast. But he’s at all times been accountable and we’re seeing what he can do.”
Even before Giancarlo Stanton homered for a fourth time within the five-game ALCS on Saturday night in Cleveland, the narrative surrounding his tenure with the Yankees had been altered by one other stellar October performance.
And despite the roller-coaster ride that has been Stanton’s seven years in The Bronx, general manager Brian Cashman said there have been no second thoughts concerning the move to acquire the oft-injured slugger and his massive contract from the Marlins prior to the 2018 season.
“I never had any regrets about acquiring Giancarlo Stanton,” Cashman said before Game 5 at Progressive Field.
A number of hours later, the Yankees advanced to their first World Series since 2009, thanks not only to Juan Soto’s three-run homer that gave them the lead in the highest of the tenth, however the game-tying two-run shot Stanton delivered within the sixth inning against Tanner Bibee, who fanned Stanton twice earlier in the sport.
“[Stanton] has been a component of our solution, not a part of our problem,’’ Cashman said of the slugger, who was named ALCS MVP. “Within the Octobers we haven’t gone so far as we desired to and hoped to, it wasn’t due to him. He did his part.”
There’s no denying Stantons’s excellence within the postseason.
In 36 profession playoff games, Stanton has hit an astounding 16 homers over 149 plate appearances. He has a 1.019 OPS.
Soto, who has 10 home runs in 38 playoff games, has a .906 postseason OPS and had his best October series of his profession within the ALCS, with three home runs — including Saturday’s dagger.
And Aaron Judge is at .761.
But Stanton hasn’t played greater than 114 games or had greater than 459 plate appearances in an everyday season since 2021. And with him turning 35 next month, it’s hard to see that changing.
Stanton has three years left on his deal and rebounded from the worst season of his profession.
“Last yr was the primary time he didn’t really perform as a healthy player,’’ Cashman said of a 2023 season that was brutal for each Stanton (.695 OPS, 24 HRs in 101 games) and the Yankees. “When he’s feeling good and on the sector, he’s at all times a threat. Even prior to this yr, October has at all times brought out the perfect in him. That’s why we acquired him years ago: To have him on the sector and be a force in the course of the lineup. He’s essential to where we wish to go.”
And, perhaps somewhat surprisingly to outside observers, no Yankee has turn into a greater spokesman for the team and its goals — or goal — this postseason.
While teammates and coaches often speak of the single-minded give attention to winning a World Series title in The Bronx for the primary time since 2009, nobody has put it more succinctly than Stanton on multiple occasions.
From Friday night’s response about the way it felt to get inside a game of the World Series: “It looks like nothing until we get it done. So far as I’m concerned, we haven’t done nothing;” to Saturday’s similar attitude about advancing past the ALCS and winning the series MVP: “It is a special moment for me, but this ain’t the trophy I would like. I would like the following one.”
And all of it comes after Stanton’s best overall yr since ’21 — a season by which he served exclusively as a DH.
In years past, whilst Stanton battled lower-body injuries, he would occasionally play the outfield. On Saturday, Cashman said not having Stanton play defense was not a goal heading into the season.
As an alternative, it was a results of how the roster was built, with the offseason additions of outfielders Soto and Trent Grisham from San Diego and Alex Verdugo from Boston.
“It wasn’t the plan to not play him,” Cashman said. “There just wasn’t a spot for him to exit.”
The Yankees won the AL East and are within the World Series largely since the slimmed-down Stanton contributed throughout the season and playoffs and he’s set to enter the World Series because the toast of the town.
“I believe the narrative of his profession is the narrative of the Yankees,” Cashman said. “When he’s playing well, he’s appreciated and when he’s not playing well, the boobirds come out. It’s true of the team and the person, and whenever you make quite a lot of money, there’s loads more abuse. It’s the character of the beast. But he’s at all times been accountable and we’re seeing what he can do.”
