Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton is on a tear. He is also healthy, but he won’t be playing this weekend. Makes sense, right? You bet it does…
At last, the Yankees seem to have some peace of mind about Giancarlo Stanton, and hopefully, he does as well.
The money paid and still owed by the Yankees to Stanton (about $220 million left thru 2028) and the return in production from Stanton will never be equal.
But it now appears the Yankees’ new approach with Stanton is to maximize what they can get from him, in essence, going for quality instead of quantity.
Yankees fans are well aware of Stanton’s history of injuries and missed playing time, so there’s no point in repeating the litany here.
Run him out there four or five times a week and sooner or later, he’s going to pull this or that – sidelining him for X number of days or weeks.
So, why keep repeating the same mistake – which is why Stanton will only be available as a pinch-hitter for the two-game series in Philadelphia where the DH is not in play.
I know, I know. He just blasted a three-run home run on Thursday to give the Yankees an early lead, and over the last two weeks, Stanton has three homers and eight RBI to throttle an anemic team offense.
Oh, and I forgot to mention Stanton and the Yankees had yesterday off.
Yankees Experiment Worth A Try
Ironically though, there is logic and sensibility in the Yankees’ new tack with Stanton. Look at it this way.
Take the case of a person who is a thief and commits robberies. He can rob seven mom-and-pop liquor stores netting $100 from each while risking getting caught (injured, if you will) each time. Or, he can hit a supermarket once, netting the same or more, with the risk of getting caught narrowed to that one event.
The old Yankees strategy with Stanton was the first thief, while now they are saying it’s better to reduce the risk while reaping the same or greater rewards. Quality versus quantity.
Make no mistake; this is a fallback position by the Yankees and something that accents the mistake they made in bringing Stanton here in the first place.
The Yankees have agonized about Stanton,and sometimes, as the line in the Kenny Rogers song goes, “You’ve got to know when to fold ’em.”
Since the Yankees are in the initial stages of an experiment with Stanton, and just in case his recent stats are an aberration, no one has claimed title to the “It was my idea” just yet.
This could be something, though, that was generated by Aaron Boone as the one who is in daily contact with Stanton, and not one of those “suggestions” that was passed down from above.
Yankees And Stanton Taking What They Can Get
As for Stanton, he is in no position to argue about his current status with the Yankees, who have repeatedly looked to him, hoping the MVP season he had in Florida was repeatable.
In an odd twist, you might say Stanton has joined the Yankees starting pitching staff, performing once every five days and resting in-between.
While not that drastic, it’s interesting to note the Yankees have another scheduled off-day tomorrow after today’s series wrap-up in Philadelphia.
All tolled then, with four days off from Friday through Monday, you would think Boone will have Stanton ready to be the DH when the Yankees travel to Buffalo, New York, to meet the Vladimir Guerrero Jr.and the Toronto Blue Jays.
It’s sad, and you wouldn’t think a player only 31 years old is relegated to being a part-time player, but that’s the best of the worst scenario the Yankees have with Giancarlo Stanton.
At least the Yankees admit it, taking off the rose-colored glasses, hoping beyond hope that the Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez tandem was set to lead the team’s offense for years.
Who would have thought, too, that when Stanton was traded to the Yankees for the 2018 season that Aaron Judge would be the last man standing?
If you are a Yankees fan, all you can say is you hope this experiment works because nothing else the Yankees have tried with Stanton has.
Author’s Postscript 6/13/2021 6:60 am ET
Not necessarily with tongue-in-cheek, how about this as an alternate strategy…Run Stanton out there in left field every day hoping he suffers a serious enough injury to sideline him for the rest of the year. Then, sit back collecting the insurance money to add players.
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Robert Rosado Herrand One of the worst moves Cashman ever made. That’s a lot of money for a DH who’s always hurt and strikes out a ton. Not only does it mess up the lineup at times but that money could’ve been used to get useful pieces.
Boa Smith He was a better player when he was Mike Stanton. Maybe he’d have better luck if he changed his name back to what it was early in his career.
Johnny Stubbs Part time 30,000,000 ballplayer, what a joke 
Victor Borsellino This is another reason for a DH in both leagues besides the pitchers who can’t hit very well
Steve Bullock This team really has no clue how to handle players and put together a lineup
Nicholas Aubin Should have a part-time contract
Susan Levine I get it. I want Giancarlo to play as well. However, because there is no DH in the National League we are screwed. No, do not put him in left as if he injured himself he will be on the IL faster than you can say Jackie Robinson…
Reddy Martinez Rob Cappello we don’t know if he sucks in right field they never gave him a chance to play outfield this year. With the Marlins he almost won a gold glove playing right field and he had one of the strongest arm in baseball. With Stanton being limited to DH only hurt the team yesterday when he had to pinch-hit for Odor then Wade had to play second. Boone had to burn two players on that one move.
Frank Keefe Out of here, wheres Mickey playing on 2 bum knees.
Mitch Bondo Bandalan I probably will never be on board with the full-time DH concept. Yet you cannot pay someone elite player monies and yet only play offense. I actually think doing this to him hurts his flexibility. He should be playing the field. Train him to play first. Author’s Note: I really like the idea about first base.
Frank Verderese I’m pushing 80 and I’m in better shape than half them pussy Yankees
Bob Byer It’s a joke and an embarrassment that a professional can’t play the field.
Jose Cardona Cashman and Boone are the ones holding these players back, how many times has Stanton, Judge,Torres, etc….said they’ve wanted to play through nagging injuries but Boone won’t let it happen
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
