Stanton sleek:
Leaner, meaner big bopper finds his zone with the Yankees.
NEW YORK – Giancarlo Stanton played in only 18 games last season but returned in 2020 ready to win over the fans that booed him at times in his stint with the Yankees. Stanton is doing just that with his play, but it’s coming in stadiums that are empty.
Stanton is off to a strong start this season and hasn’t done it simply with home runs. Stanton was 8-for-25 on the early season for a batting average of .320, but Stanton’s on-base percentage already was at .469, 110 points above his career mark.
“I feel like I’m having good atbats, good approach,” said Stanton. “I’ve just got to stay in the strike zone and continue to do that.”
That good approach included Aug. 2, when Stanton did not have a hit but worked two walks to generate offense in other parts of the lineup. Stanton, who has never had longer than an eight-game hitting streak in a Yankees uniform, reached base in all but one of the first eight games of the season.
“I just need to stick to my zone and have a good approach for each specific guy,” said Stanton. “Make quick, smart adjustments and keep learning after every game, even if I have a great game. Just learn what could have been better.”
It’s not much of a sample size for the season, but after two years of hearing displeasure from Yankees fans, it’s almost ironic that Stanton is having his best stretch in pinstripes while it cannot be seen by spectators. In a current landscape with so many things to concern yourself with, Stanton is unwilling to let that wrinkle to the 2020 season be his undoing.
“Those are some of the things you can’t control,” said Stanton. “It’s another added distraction. I’m just worried about playing every night, as I have in previous years.”
One big part of the different feel for Stanton’s season was his weight loss. Prior to the delay of the season, Stanton planned to slim down a bit. Ultimately, Stanton says he has lost around 20 pounds from the offseason until now.
“That was my plan without a pause,” Stanton said. “I extended it a bit. I wanted to come in and lose a good bit by the time the season started . ... I tried to figure out what was the best way to stay on the field and for me to progress.”