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NEW YORK —It was mid-afternoon on Tuesday when the Yankees were hunkered down in the War Room: Flat-screen monitors adorning the walls, videos of opposing pitchers, statistical read-outs, a cubicle full of new age data.
The Bombers were preparing for White Sox ace Davis Martin, who they would later overpower in a 12-2 rout. But hours before the first pitch, the Yankees hitters were deep in preparation.
All of them.
Including one who hadn’t played in months.
The fact that Giancarlo Stanton was on the injured list didn’t stop him from participating in the meeting. To the contrary, he was one of the most vocal Yankees.
“It was as if he was playing that night,” said manager Aaron Boone. “That shows you what kind of teammate he is. You would never know he was hurt by the way he carried himself.”
Fellow Yankees say their respect for Stanton is immeasurable. He refuses to give in to self-pity, despite back to back calf injuries that’ve kept him out of action since April 25. It’s possible Stanton won’t return until late July.
The setbacks are only the latest in a long, maddening history of injuries. Since being traded to the Yankees from the Marlins before the 2018 season, Stanton has been on the injured list 14 times, costing him a total of 790 games.
It would be a staggering number for any major leaguer. But the fact that Stanton is so powerful and physically fit – “a specimen” in Jazz Chisholm’s words - only deepens the mystery.
I asked Stanton for a theory or an explanation – or even just a wild guess at what makes him so susceptible to breakdowns.
It took Stanton several seconds to respond.
“They’re just…unfortunate things,” he said quietly before explaining what keeps him from becoming bitter.
“There’s enough things that could roll you backwards, so the negativity would be just another parachute behind you,” Stanton said. “I can’t say I’m not human, or that I’m not as frustrated as ever. But I have a duty to the guys in this room.
“I’ve got to come in here with positivity and help put my teammates in a good spot. It’s all I can do right now. At the end of the day, it’s ‘what can we do to win every night.’ It’s not about my feelings.”
If lending emotional support is Stanton’s goal, he’s succeeding. The first-place Yankees have won eight of their last nine, including Wednesday’s 10-5 rout of the White Sox. Despite initial fears that losing both Stanton and Aaron Judge (fractured rib) would tank the lineup, the Yankees are as dangerous as ever.
They still lead the American League in runs (380) and are tops in the majors in home runs (109).
That’s allowed the Bombers to think big about October. Adding Judge and Stanton, who rank Nos. 3 and 4 in the American League in exit velocity, would create an unstoppable run-scoring machine. But Judge, who isn’t scheduled to return until August, would have to ramp up quickly. And Stanton would have to stay healthy the rest of the year.
That’s no small concern. Stanton was only days away from a full recovery from April’s initial calf strain. Then, with no warning last Friday, he suffered a re-injury during running drills in the outfield. It’s back to square one for the unluckiest Yankee.
“There are times I’ve checked in with G. The conversations have been very candid,” said Boone. “Like, ‘how’s your brain? How’s your heart? Where are you at?’ I’ve found that he’s very good at deciding, ‘this is what I’ve been dealt. This is where I have to pour my energy and focus into.”
Stanton’s stoicism has been honed over the years. Learning to wall off frustration also helped him ignore the booing earlier in his career. The abuse from the ticket buyers began on April 3, 2018, his first home game in Pinstripes. Stanton stuck out five times and learned how merciless New York could be.
Still, Stanton took accountability for the performance.
“You put up a performance like that, you should get some boos,” he said.
The fans eventually recognized a pattern. Stanton either hit monster home runs or slumped so badly he’d barely make contact. Either way, he would inevitably get hurt.
But despite the slumps, strikeouts and chronic injuries, Stanton has amassed 456 career home runs with a 13.96 HR to at-bat ratio. That’s the ninth-best in MLB history.
Stanton’s long ball efficiency is superior to Hall of Famers like Ralph Kiner (14.11), Harmon Killebrew (14.22) and Ted Williams (14.79).
That’s why teammates feel badly for Stanton. Unlike the slugger who doesn’t look backward, the Yankees wonder what could’ve been, minus the breaks, calf strains and hamstring pulls.
“He’d be sitting at 600 home runs right now, maybe more,” said Chisholm. “Maybe 700. That’s how good he is.”
And it’s not just the home runs that’ve been lost – it’s the running speed that Stanton once had. Although he’s now forced to jog on the base paths to protect his legs, Stanton was respectably quick in his younger days in Miami.
Stanton’s home-to-first sprint speed (4.50 seconds) between 2014-2017 would’ve put him just behind Trent Grisham (4.42) and slightly faster than Ben Rice (4.54) today.
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But Stanton refuses to dwell on what might have been, and his teammates respect that boundary
“I mean, you’re talking about a five-tool player, a former MVP (in 2017), perennial All-Star,” said left-hander Carlos Rodon. “It’s hard to accept when those things are taken from you. When we talk, those things are left unsaid.
“All I know is, G wants to be out there. It’s tough to be on the sidelines. It’s the hardest thing in the world.”
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