Everybody knows, at this point, that Giancarlo Stanton’s kryptonite are strikeouts. The New York Yankees‘ star struck out 143 times this year, 124 the year before, and 137 times in 2022, even though he really didn’t play anything close to 162 games in any of those seasons.
Stanton’s career strikeout rate is an elevated 28.5 percent. The whole league knows about his issues, making consistent contact. The thing about Stanton, however, is that when he makes contact, it’s loud, and it goes far.
So what could happen if he, at least for a small period of time, were to make contact as frequently as an elite leadoff hitter but with his trademark power? Well, he would be basically what we have been seeing in the postseason: a monster.
In October, the Yankees’ DH has an elite 213 wRC+ with three home runs in seven games. He has carried the Yankees to a 5-2 record so far in the playoffs, and it’s in large part thanks to an improved contact rate.
The Yankees’ DH is locked in at the plate
MLB stats researcher Sarah Langs revealed a stat that shows just how locked in the Yankees star is.
“Giancarlo Stanton has not struck out since Game One of the ALDS – a span of 26 career plate appearances without punching out – the longest streak of his career (regular or post),” she posted on X.
Raise your hand if you had Stanton not striking out for 26 consecutive plate appearances in the postseason. The guy is absolutely locked in, and the Yankees have certainly fed from that consistent production.
He is just impossible to fool at the moment: he will foul off tough pitches out of the zone or in the edges and will patiently wait for his pitch. October, it seems, is his natural habitat.
As long as Stanton keeps playing like this, Aaron Judge continues to improve at the plate, and Gleyber Torres maintains his elite production at the leadoff spot, the Yankees offense will be more than fine.