Giancarlo Stanton Has Finally Won The Hearts Of New York Yankees Fans

Giancarlo Stanton Has Finally Won The Hearts Of New York Yankees Fans

by | May 14, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF

Giancarlo Stanton, one of the most criticized athletes in New York, is looking like an All-Star once again.

 

 

In the Yankees’ 10-4 victory over the White Sox Friday night, Stanton went 2-for-4 with a homerun and two RBI. It was his 10th HR of the season and his third in the last three games.

Before Friday, in Stanton’s previous seven games, he batted .308, with five home runs, 14 RBI, and an .885 slugging percentage with an on-base percentage of .385. For the season, he’s hitting .277, with nine homers, 28 RBI, a .311 OBP, and a slugging percentage of .527.

Stanton made his MLB debut back in 2010 with the then-Florida Marlins and it was a complete success. During his eight years with the Marlins, he batted .268, with an on-base percentage of .360, and a slugging percentage of .554. Giancarlo, who went by Mike back then, was a four-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger winner, a two-time recipient of the Hank Aaron Award, and was named NL MVP after hitting 59 home runs and knocking in 132 RBI in 2017 — his final year with the team.

Stanton was traded to the Yankees in December of 2017 for Starling Castro, Jorge Guzman, and Jose Devers. This was the second time in MLB history that a player who hit at least 50 home runs would be traded the following offseason and it came just three years after he had signed a 13-year, $325 million extension.

Stanton’s first season with the Yankees was not awful by any means. He played in 158 games with a .266 average, 38 home runs, 100 RBI, a .343 OBP and a slugging percentage of .509. However, he drew a lot of criticism due to his 211 strikeouts — the most by a single player in Yankees history.

The 2019 and shortened 2020 season were not successful campaigns in any way. Stanton only played 41 games total due to several injuries. The fans were at the height of discontent with him at that point.

MLBbro 2021 Season Rewind| Giancarlo Stanton is Key To Yankees Success

 

In 2021, Stanton missed some games due to injury, but not to the extent of 2019. In 2021, he played 139 games, he had 35 home runs and 97 RBI, but ended up striking out 157 times — again averaging more than one strikeout in every game he played in. Stanton has not earned a single honor during his four years in the Bronx.

Thes biggest criticism of Stanton has been his strikeouts. In every season he has played with the Yankees, he averaged more than one strikeout per game.

Yankees fans and media are arguing that his play has not matched the money the team is paying him but what they fail to realize is that this is not just a Stanton problem…

This is a baseball problem.

Baseball has been increasingly valuing the home run, and while home runs have been going up, so have strikeouts. Players around the Majors are essentially going all-or-nothing when up to bat. Expect strikeouts to be more and more common for everyone as long as this trend continues.

The Yankees are one of the best teams in baseball this season. Stanton is a big part of their success and he is definitely off to a great start.

The question is whether or not he can be consistent throughout the entire season, stay healthy, and be one of the best players in baseball… which is what Yankees fans and media were expecting when they traded for him.

“He’s One The Best, If Not The Best Hitter I’ve Ever Scouted In Our Area | Marlins 2021 First Round Pick SS Kahlil Watson Is The Goods

“He’s One The Best, If Not The Best Hitter I’ve Ever Scouted In Our Area | Marlins 2021 First Round Pick SS Kahlil Watson Is The Goods

by | Apr 26, 2022 | THE THREE SPOT

For Miami Marlins shortstop Kahlil Watson, playing baseball is something the sweet-hitting, solid-fielding shortstop was born to do. The 16th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, is what baseball connoisseurs consider a five-tool prospect. One who combines that rare blend of speed, throwing, fielding, hitting for average and hitting with power.

 

 

Watson has all of that in his arsenal. He’s sort of reminiscent of his former boss and a guy who was influential in drafting Watson, Hall of Famer and New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter. If there’s one thing “DJ2” knows it’s playing shortstop and “manning the hole.” He did it at an extremely high-level for 20 years. So drafting Watson was a no-brainer, considering many believed the uber-athletic Watson would go higher.

 

 

Watson is the Marlins top-ranked prospect, and he’s showing why in April. At just 18-years-old, he’s doing things unimaginable for most, but expected for a player of his talent. Watson didn’t disappoint in a brief minor-league season (9 games) last summer, hitting .394 (13-33) with three doubles, two triples, five RBIs, 13 runs scored, and four stolen bases.

Watson Led NC State To CWS Semis In 2021: COVID-19 Stole Their Moment

Watson, who committed to NC State as a high school junior, led the Wolfpack to the semifinals of the College World Series in 2021, only to have to bow out after a COVID-19 outbreak ravaged the team.

Head coach Elliott Avent knew he was getting a special talent that would play in the majors. Avent didn’t know how long he’d have the talented Watson in the heart of his lineup and infield.

“We knew it would be difficult to keep him away from Major League Baseball,” Avent recalls. 

When the Marlins took Watson in the 2021 draft, and showed him the money ($4.5 million), it became a reality. This was bound to happen from the moment NC State recruited Wilson from nearby Wake Forest High, also located on the outskirts of Raleigh, NC. 

Wolfpack Coach Knew From His First Scout Of Watson 

Assistant HC, Chris Hart was amazed by Watson’s skillset from the onset of scouting him. Hart likened him to former Los Angeles Dodgers, and current Texas Rangers star Corey Seagar who won the NLCS and World Series MVP in 2020. In and around the Carolinas, Seagar is considered the gold-standard of infield play. That’s high praise for the young “KW,” whom Hart believes measures up.

“He’s one of the — if not the best — hitter I’ve ever scouted in our area,” Hart insists. “Corey Seagar (a Charlotte native) jumps off the page over the last 15 years, but Kahlil is right in that range.”

It’s no doubt Watson is the “shortstop of the future” down in South Beach. He and second baseman Jazz Chisholm, who started 121 games last season while batting .250 with 18 homers and 23 stolen bases, are set to form a great infield duo for years to come.

It’s Chisholm’s spunk and flare that make him special. He and Watson look to be two picks. Jeter may have gotten correct during the Marlins rebuild, leaving the organization with young, strong cornerstone pieces — MLBbro infielders — with speed, power, charisma and supreme athleticism to build a winner around. 

Bring Out The Trumpets |It’s Time For Jazz Chisholm AKA “Bahamian Blur” To Take Over As Franchise Player Of The Miami Marlins? 

Bring Out The Trumpets |It’s Time For Jazz Chisholm AKA “Bahamian Blur” To Take Over As Franchise Player Of The Miami Marlins? 

by | Apr 20, 2022 | THE LEAD OFF

In any level of sports, a team needs a big-time name for their fanbase to identify with. In Major League baseball, no team has struggled with its identity more than the Miami Marlins. Even with two World Series championships, the franchise has consistently been at the bottom of the league in attendance and to take it even further, relevance. 

Right now, there is no “Face of the Marlins” for fans to get excited about. Over the years, the team’s homegrown talent has not resonated with fans and the ownership group has shied away from signing expensive big-name free agents. The only names that commanded attention the last few seasons were in the front office with Derek Jeter, who recently left as CEO, and general manager Kim Ng, who made history as baseball’s highest-ranking female executive and first woman general manager in the four major professional sports leagues. 

These are admirable choices, but not enough to fire up a fanbase…until now. His name? Jazz Chisholm Jr., the charismatic and highly skilled baller also known as “The Bahamian Blur.”

 

 

Early this season, Chisholm Jr. has started on fire offensively ranking among team leaders in hits, runs, triples and home runs while leading the team in RBI. But it’s his following that has his popularity surging to levels not seen since the late Jose Fernandez, who was the Marlins’ last real superstar. No Marlins player has transcended their on-field exploits to social media or the collective industry like Jazz has. 

Recently, Jazz added the video game industry to his resume. The developers of the MLB The Show 22 not only selected Chisholm as their Faces of the Franchises Marlins card but recreated his patented Euro step home run celebration as well. 

it will be interesting to see if baseball’s biggest social media MLBbro expands his on-field production as fast as his online popularity. Teammate and clubhouse leader, Miguel Rojas has been working out and counseling Chisholm via Fox Sports to just be himself. 

“He’s already a fan favorite. Young fans, old fans, people who’ve been around baseball, they like the way he plays and everything that he brings to the table,” Rojas said. “What I say to Jazz, though, is that now is your time to focus on your game. Your game will speak for you. The things that you do on the field and off the field, you don’t have to do too much. A lot of people already like you.” 

MLBbro.com’s Dante Miles featured Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the latest episode of What’s Poppin.