Giancarlo Stanton had a season for the ages in 2017. He hit 59 home runs and drove in 132 runs. Stanton had an OPS of 1.007 and had an OPS+ of 165. Stanton had a .631 slugging percentage and his WAR (Wins above replacement) was 7.6.
That is a lot of numbers, I know. The reason I threw all those numbers at you is because I believe that Stanton’s yearly averages over the course of the next three seasons will be pretty close to the numbers he put up last season.
Impossible you say. Not so fast my friend. There are three reasons why I believe Stanton will put up monster numbers in the Bronx.
1. Position Versatility: In the American League, Stanton can play right field and DH. He does not have to play 150-160 games in the field. He can play 120 games in the right and DH 30-35 times a season. That should help Stanton stay healthy and in turn help him stay productive.
2. Line-Up Protection: Stanton had line up protection in Miami as well but the Marlins line up is nowhere near as good as the 2018 projected Yankees line up is going to be. Who do you pitch to? Do you pitch to Stanton? Or do you take your chances with Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird or Didi Gregorius? Conventional wisdom would say pitch to Judge and avoid Stanton because Judge strikes out a ton but Judge will have better plate discipline now that he has a full season under his belt. Pitching to Judge may not be smart either. If the guys around him are hitting, Stanton is likely to see more pitches, which means he should hit 45-50 home runs and drive in 125 plus runs.
3. Yankee Stadium: Stanton is strong and he can hit the ball to all fields. The short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium is perfect for the occasional excuse me home run Stanton will hit. Marlins Park was a pitchers ballpark and Stanton tamed it. He will put up even better numbers in hitter friendly Yankees Stadium.
The Yankees gave up next to nothing to acquire Stanton. They can replace Starlin Castro in their line up and on the field. The two prospects they gave up are Single A prospects that have long term potential but are a ways away.
GM Brian Cashman essential stole Stanton and as a result bolstered what was an already terrific line up.
Fantasy owners will benefit from this trade as well. Stanton’s 2018 projected ADP in a 12 team league is late second round (picks 19-24) but with this trade, I would seriously consider drafting him either early in the second round or even late in the first round. Stanton will produce on par with the game’s best sluggers once again.