With spring training about a month away, the New York Yankees are in the dead of the off-season. A few rumors about the left field position have bubbled to the surface, notably the interest in Jurickson Profar. Still, the team is buying their time and remaining conservative until they are able to create a position battle that will hopefully bring the best out of players on the roster.
Given that it’s the dead of the off-season, let’s take a look at a hot take for the Yankees in 2023. This time around, we will focus on Giancarlo Stanton, a 33-year-old slugger that has failed to remain healthy over the past few years. In fact, he hasn’t played over 150 games since 2018, his first season with the Bombers, when he slapped 38 homers with 100 RBIs.
Nonetheless, our hot take for the upcoming year is that Stanton hits 50 homers for the first time since 2017 with the Miami Marlins. Considering he hit 31 homers over 110 games last year, 50 homers should be doable, even though he’s getting older and incapable of providing defense every day.
Why Giancarlo Stanton can hit 50 homers for the Yankees:
During the first half of the 2022 season, Stanton was electric. In the month of May and June, he contributed 15 home runs and 38 RBIs. Specifically, during May, he hit .301 with a 38.8% on-base rate and 1.005 OPS. At the end of the day, Stanton is capable of magisterial performances and consistent slugging. As long as he can remain healthy, there’s an excellent chance he can reach 50 homers, but that health variable is certainly in question.
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When looking at Stanton slugging metrics, they remain highly positive. He recorded a 52.1% hard-hit rate, 19.2% barrel rate, and 95 average exit velocity, all above his career averages (2022 numbers). Those metrics indicate that Stanton isn’t seeing a drop off due to age, as he continues to feature elite power. It always ends up being continuity and consistency for Giancarlo, making or breaking his season. I imagine that will be the same narrative in 2023.