TAMPA – It may only be in early March, but Giancarlo Stanton is already releasing some impressive figures from Statcast.
Stanton’s first strike in the spring was a left-hand double on Sunday, in the 4-0 victory over the Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner.
He jumped from his baton against Philadelphia holder Zack Wheeler, and the exit speed was measured at 109.4 mph.
Then, in the fifth, the DH drilled a deep double center, this time outside Ivan Nova, and scored 109.8 mph.
“He looks ready to go,” said DJ LeMahieu. “He had some missiles today. That’s Big G for you there. “
The Yankees are counting on more of that from Stanton, who has been unable to stay healthy for most of the past two seasons before bursting into last year’s playoffs with six home runs in seven games.
“Stanton is accelerating the ball,” said Aaron Judge. “He looks a lot like his playoff form from last year.”
Aaron Boone spoke enthusiastically about Stanton’s approach over the spring, saying that the 31-year-old matured as a hitter and, in a way, may be better than he was in 2017, when Stanton hit 59 home runs and won the NL MVP while I was with Marlins.
He traded with the Yankees in that off-season and hit 38 home runs in his first year in the Bronx while battling a hamstring injury and has since been limited to 41 regular season games in the past two seasons.
The flashes that Stanton showed last October – and again on Sunday – made the Yankees excited about what could come next, but he still needs to prove he can stay on the pitch.
“Giancarlo is healthy and that is what matters to him now,” said Boone.
While Stanton hit the ball harder than anyone else on Sunday, Brett Gardner provided the only runs with his second entry grand slam at Wheeler.
“It gives [Gardner] something to talk to the big boys about, ” Boone said of the shot on the right field line. “This will put some air in your sails.”
The judge said the slider was down and in, and “right inside [Gardner’s] wheelhouse. “
More important than the home run is the quality of hitting the 37-year-old, after signing just before the start of the field, after a prolonged free-reserve process.
“I liked the look of it,” said Boone.
The coach added that he told hitting coach Marcus Thames that Gardner may actually be ahead of where he was a year ago, but Thames disagreed.
Anyway, he was able to wait for Wheeler’s ball for his first spring home run and later took a walk on Ivan Nova.
Boone said that so far there are no plans to make any cuts at the major league camp, but they will take advantage of Monday’s day off to reorganize where some players are, with more players in the 40-player roster expected to leave the complex. secondary league for Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday.
Asked what he noticed most about his team at this point during spring training, Boone said: “Our depth stood out for me. We are trying to put the lineups in place for a few days and there are a lot of good players to get in there. “
He also praised “business hunger and obstinacy taking shape”.