N.Y. Yankees: The Reeducation of Giancarlo Stanton

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Last year's N.L. MVP poised to play in most 

meaningful games of his baseball career.

New York Yankees: Oh, the story Giancarlo Stanton can write!

Giancarlo Stanton's arrival in the Bronx is not a matter of baseball subjugation.  By invoking his no-trade clause he essentially engineers his own reality by forcing the Marlins to deal with Brian Cashman and the Yankees - whom rather passively emerge as a lone remaining suitor capable of absorbing his otherwise prohibitive contract.

One could argue Stanton never before has participated in a regular season nearly as meaningful as this one, or that Mar. 29, 2018 at Toronto was the first ever meaningful regular season game of his career, or that his first hundred games with the Yankees have been far more meaningful than any of his 986 games played as a Miami Marlin.  But after four full months on the job he is experiencing well that winning a National League MVP for the second division Miami Marlins is one thing, and that being traded to New York and playing for a team which came within one game of last year's World Series is another.

He hit two home runs and drove in four runs in his Yankee debut, but after 28 games would finish April slashing just .230/.313/.425, with five home runs and 15 RBI, and not without having at least two terse exchanges with the media.  In May, he slashes .264/.330/.516, with six home runs and 14 RBI, then slashes .298/.373/.577, with eight home runs and 17 RBI in June.

Now one hundred games deep into the season, Stanton so far in July is slashing .349/.387/.542, with four home runs and 15 RBI, bringing his grand totals up to .281/.348/.512, with 23 home runs and 61 RBI.  He leads the Yankees with 110 base hits; is tied with Aaron Judge for most RBI; is second behind Judge in home runs; and is third behind Judge and Gleyber Torres in slugging.

This past Thursday, Aaron Judge suffered a fractured wrist during the Yankees 7-2 victory over the Royals at the stadium.  He is expected to miss the next three weeks to a month.  With that, the weight of the Yankees Universe falls on the shoulders of Giancarlo Stanton, who is now expected to carry what is effectively Aaron Judge's team. 

More conclusive proof that in New York City the spotlight finds you, and not the other way around. As such, Giancarlo Stanton is about to gain an entirely new understanding into what the dog days of summer truly entail.  Friday's rain-out makes Saturday's game against the Royals at the stadium the first the Bombers will play without Judge.  Tasked with performing under new conditions, Stanton will have all eyes focused squarely on him.

Stand or fall, he is once again in charge of his own narrative.  The game's biggest stage lies before him.  If Stanton helps the Yankees overcome their five game deficit behind the Red Sox before Aaron Judge returns, oh the story he will write.