Giancarlo Stanton: Big Man In The Big City

Wingack

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So, while we have thread a talking about the trade, we also need a place to talk about Stanton moving forward.

After reading a bit about him and adjustments he's made, I am more optimistic that his 2017 wasn't just a fluke. He cut his strikeout rate and changed his approach at the plate which makes this all more sustainable. A lot has been made of his switch to the close stance, and it seems to really have helped him. If it helped him reduce his K rate, I think we will soon see Aaron Judge employing the same stance.

https://www.mlb.com/news/stantons-closed-stance-fueling-hr-surge/c-249747112

Anyway, that is just a kickstarter to conversation. Use this thread for anything Stanton related, whether it is discussion of where he will hit in the lineup, whether he will be better off in left or right, or how he will fare as part-time DH.

And ten years from now, this is also going to be the place where the Yankee fans will be complaining about him and the Sox fans can "criticize and mock."

 

BoSox Rule

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Fangraphs has an article about him in maybe May or June when he was still hitting really well but that he was sacrificing power for more contact because he was at a turning point in his career where he was still hitting for a ton of of power but not making nearly enough contact for a great hitter. Then we all saw him get used to his new stance and swing and went off on a historic pace. I’m not sure he’ll ever touch 59 homeruns again but he looks to be a scary hitter still for a very long time with the adjustments.
 

jon abbey

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I think he may end up with the Dodgers in 3 years after they clean up their payroll, although he'd probably have to give up money to do so. His remaining deal would either be 7/218 or 8/233 depending on the 2028 club option.
 

Snodgrass'Muff

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Eno Sarris has a great piece up from November about the case for trading for Stanton.

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-case-for-acquiring-stanton/

It spends time downplaying the injury risk and the strikeout rate, as well as putting a dent in the argument that his contract was a problem, and that was before the Marlins tossed in $30M.

I think the Yankees made a fantastic trade here, and it's gonna suck watching him and Judge back to back for at least the next three years.
 

Wingack

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Nice start kid.

Seriously though this is going to be fun. And I know it was just one game but Judge got some nice pitches to hit in front of him.
 
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jon abbey

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Yankees with 2+ HR, 3+ H, 4+ RBI on Opening Day

Babe Ruth, 1932
Roger Maris, 1960
Giancarlo Stanton, 2018
 

Big John

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on that last shot Stanton hit off Clippard (on a 3-2 fastball), Kevin Pillar didn't move or even look back.

The closed stance works for him, He doesn't overstride.
 

TheYaz67

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Plenty of booing last night at home for an impressive 5 strike out effort - welcome to NYC! Luckily your 4 hole hitter (Didi) bailed him out with 8 RBI....

I guess him and Judge will be neck and neck for both the HR and K titles this year.
 

Murderer's Crow

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Personal observation and nothing more, I would imagine moving to a lineup where you don't have to do 95% of the heavy lifting must feel very different for Stanton. No player is immune to the psychological elements of playing in NY or Boston or Chicago and yesterday, Stanton looked like he wanted to destroy every pitch instead of have some good ABs.
 

TheYaz67

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He is on a Jacksonian pace so far, that is for sure. I can't imagine there were many players that had 5 Ks in a game in all of 2017, and he has two such efforts already in the first 2 weeks of 2018...
 

SirPsychoSquints

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He is on a Jacksonian pace so far, that is for sure. I can't imagine there were many players that had 5 Ks in a game in all of 2017, and he has two such efforts already in the first 2 weeks of 2018...
There were five such games in 2017:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/lHUG6

  1. Odubel Herrera
  2. Matt Davidson
  3. Nelson Cruz (also flew out to Mookie)
  4. Javier Baez
  5. Brian Dozier (also hit a homer to lead off the game)
 

santadevil

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On the MLB Network last night, they said that he is the first player to have multiple 0-fer games with 5K's in each in the live ball era.
They are 10 games in so far, which seems fairly amazing, to me at least.
 

SirPsychoSquints

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On the MLB Network last night, they said that he is the first player to have multiple 0-fer games with 5K's in each in the live ball era.
They are 10 games in so far, which seems fairly amazing, to me at least.
In the same season, I assume? The following players have 2 0-fer games with 5 Ks in each:
  1. Jim Thome (2000/04)
  2. Ron Swoboda (1968/69)
  3. Stanton (18/18)
  4. Richie Sexson (01/03)
  5. Alex Rios (06/09)
  6. Benny Kauff (1914/1918)
  7. Andruw Jones (07/08)
  8. Chris Davis (11/12)
  9. Dick Allen (64/70)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/t91iQ
 

santadevil

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I believe they were referencing in the same season.
Just jumped out at me when they said it.

Also, you appear to be very good at BBRef searches SPP
 

Murderer's Crow

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Through his first 42 AB, Stanton is basically in-line with the way he's started the previous two seasons when you account for extra innings.

2016 8 hits, 2HR, 8 RBI and 15 SO in 39 At Bats in 10 games.

2017 10 hits, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 13 SO through 10 games in 39 At Bats

2018 7 hits, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 20 SO through 10 games in 42 at bats
 
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jon abbey

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Gary Sanchez has been way worse so far at the plate (he has been pretty good defensively), but people love to key on hitter's strikeouts, even though the concept of a 'productive out' is wildly overblown.
 

mauidano

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As a Sox fan, we can only hope that this unusual streak lasts a few days longer. These guys are REALLY good at the game of baseball. It's a long season and many pitchers and teams will pay with a beatdown. Just hope it's not this week.
 

E5 Yaz

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Then, Stanton's funk is Jon Abbey's fault for a reposted factoid.
 

jon abbey

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Heh, I posted a lot of those in the Judge thread last year too, and that seemed to work out ok.
 

Van Everyman

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Here’s another factoid:

From the Bill Chuck files — “In Giancarlo Stanton’s first 52 Yankee PAs, he hit three homers and struck out 22 times. In 2016, in his first 14 games, he hit .208 with three homers, 10 RBIs, and 21 strikeouts in 53 at-bats. In 2017, in his first 14 games, he hit .226 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs with 19 strikeouts in 53 at-bats.” . . .
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/04/14/will-shohei-ohtani-start-lead-more-two-way-players/Gg7vxxLml4eqKu7URUnfxL/story.html
 

TheYaz67

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Very SSS obviously (8 games home and away) but this is bizarre:

Road: .323/.417./677 (9 strikeouts in 31 AB)
Home: .086/.179/.171 (20 strikeouts in 35 AB)
 

jon abbey

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He's usually a pretty slow starter, FWIW:

2018: .197 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 29 K (16 games)
2017: .226 AVG, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 19 K (14 games)
2016: .193 AVG, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 24 K (15 games)
2015: .130 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 8 K (7 games)
2014: .329 AVG, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 20 K (17 games)
2013: .176 AVG, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 21 K (14 games) (1st HR hit in 18th gm)
2012: .246 AVG, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 17 K (19 games) (1st HR hit in 20th game)
2011: .194 AVG, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 11 K (11 games)

The booing is idiotic and isn't helping anything, as is usually the case.
 

TheYaz67

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Well, he has started to get the bat going a bit more (7 HR and a .455 SLG) but he is also leading all of MLB with 53 strike outs so far, in about 150 plate appearances. The biggest problem with 1/3rd of your at bats ending in a K is that you had better have a pretty damn high BABIP or mash a ton of home runs (which he usually does of course) or else your overall numbers are not going to look so hot....
 

jon abbey

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He has massive L/R splits so far, as we saw with his 2 HR game off Keuchel last week:

Against LHP: 1.382 OPS
Against RHP: .610 OPS

He just doesn't seem to be picking up the ball correctly against RHP with his current stance, I expect him to figure it out before too long.

He also has massive home/road splits (.586/.999) so far as mentioned above, although that seems more random and less 'real' to me (it's only 150 total ABs either way, pretty SSS). The L/R thing seems more real, he had a fairly big split there last year also (1.221/.958).
 

jon abbey

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He still has insane L/R splits, but his overall start has been almost identical to last year:

Katie Sharp‏ @ktsharp

Giancarlo Stanton thru 40 games played

2018: .252/.339/.516, 10 HR, 26 RBI
2017: .263/.339/.533, 11 HR, 27 RBI
 

jon abbey

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Highest Career SLG vs. LHP since 1961 (min 1000 PA)

Giancarlo Stanton .648
Frank Thomas .635
Manny Ramirez .617
Albert Belle .613
Dick Allen .611
 

TheYaz67

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Well, not a bad first season after all with 35 HR, a .829 OPS and 3+ WAR in NY (albeit below his standards) - making the adjustment fairly well now it seems.

He is however also going into the final week of the season neck and neck with Moncada in the "race" to lead the league in Ks (206 to 210) and has shattered his previous high in a year (170)...