What this means: Sometime, around May 30, a carbunkle will pop, a cog will go into reverse, and Giancarlo will have his annual season-ending MRI.
So goes the Yankee mating dance between hope and truth. The hope is that Stanton can play 100 games and hit in October. The truth is that, at any moment, he is a walking, chain reaction pile-up on the New York State Thruway.
Yesterday, Stanton took BP, whacked a couple balls into the Gulf, and declined oxygen. That's huge. Guy is 36, slow as a city bus, and the most breakable Yank since Mickey. He stands beside Don Mattingly as the Yankee most likely to never ride down the Canyon of Heroes.
So, this is it. If the 2027 season is to be canceled due to labor strife, that makes 2026 his Ring Year... or bust.
On that note, here are 10 things I bet you didn't know about Giancarlo, starting with the clickbait headline.
1. He is represented by the Wasserman agency, which recently caught its fingers in the Jeffrey Epstein cookie jar. The founder, Casey Wasserman, is abruptly retiring, after his name popped up. Marilyn Monroe is in there. So is Elvis. It's a wide swath. Is anybody searching for "Giancarlo?"
2. Baseball Reference lists as his nicknames as "Bigfoot" and "Cruz." I have never, ever, heard him referred to as either.
3. In 2026, he is projected to hit 23 HRs, drive in 62 runs and bat .231. In other words, we'd be better off with Ben Rice.
4. This year, his career will officially tilt towards NY. Until now, he has eight seasons with the Marlins, eight with the Yankees.
5. With Florida, he hit 267 HRs and batted .268. With the Yankees, 186 and .244. Night and day.
6. His last triple came in 2018. For him to reach third on a batted ball, two outfielders need to be carted off in an ambulance.
7. In his career, he will be hard-pressed to reach the gold standard of 500 HRs. He sits at 453, which means he needs two more seasons. If next year gets canceled, he's done.
8. In eight years with the Yankees, he has stolen six bases. (Thrown out only once!)
9. Hall of Fame? Well, his statistical astral twins include four:
10. Contractually, the Yankees have him this year and next, at $25 million per season, with $10 million each year to be paid by the Marlins. They actually have him through 2028, but there is a $10 million buyout option that they will surely invoke.
Ha! Gotcha with the Epstein reference, right?
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6 comments:
Concerning #6. I have solid information that Stanton's previous triple was not 8 years ago. It was last night at Riveters in Tampa. Tequila was involved, so I've been told.
On another note, a headline article from today's NY Post:
"YANKEES’ ANTHONY VOLPE NOT USING INJURY AS EXCUSE FOR STRUGGLES WHILE RETURNING FROM PHYSICAL ‘ROCK BOTTOM' ’'
Isn't this a self-admission that he really just sucks as a baseball player?
The really funny thing about that headline, Carl, is that on the one hand he says the injury is not an excuse, and then also says he hit physical rock bottom--which was because of the injury. So hitting physical rock bottom from the injury isn't his excuse for struggling. But he did hit physical rock bottom.
Obviously Boone has been training him in the art of public speaking.
Watch. Stanton will have a great year, play the outfield a handful of times, and join Judge in having a massive postseason.
You know how hard it is to type when you're laughing? It's hard, believe me.
Watching the US curling teams today really makes me appreciate Mikaela Shiffrin. At least somebody is competent.
Indeedy
Never warmed to Stanton, I never wanted him in the first place. Just not the sort of player I prefer. I like more rounded players with multiple skill sets. Jeter, Mattingly….Its not too hard to see this year as the final “productive” year of his career, especially if next year is completely lost.
"They actually have him through 2028, but there is a $10 million buyout option that they will surely invoke."
But would they "surely" invoke the buyout option? If I was a betting man, I'd say they won't. Keeping Stanton around until the end of 2028 really helps them to stash Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones in the minors. Watch, they'll keep him around. Might even re-sign him to a new contract after 2028. Cashman likes to do stuff like that.
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