Despite the fact they are currently ice-cold, the New York Yankees can count on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto to anchor the lineup in October. Theoretically, they will both return to form eventually.
The team, however, will go as far as veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton takes it. It seems rather odd reading that statement, considering he is also in a slump at the moment and hasn’t been close to his best version in 2024. But the designated hitter is the Yankees’ X-factor heading into the playoffs.
Even when Soto and Judge were dominating, there wasn’t really much consistency when other stars and young players weren’t producing, which somewhat capped the lineup’s upside.
Stanton could make or break the Yankees’ postseason
However, when Stanton was producing, he gave the Yankees a third top slugger and opposing pitchers another threat to worry about. No matter how good Austin Wells or Jazz Chisholm Jr. are: Stanton is the one who instills fear into the hearts of foes, the one whose power can make the difference in October.
With 427 home runs, Stanton is an all-time great. Yes, the injuries are frustrating, but he is currently healthy and trying to get into a nice rhythm at the plate. If he manages to catch fire, watch out: he is a proven playoff performer and can shock many.
This year, Stanton looks much better than his punchless 2023 version, even if he is not quite the slugger he was up until 2021.
He is slashing an acceptable .233/.292/.479 with 25 home runs and a .771 OPS. Yes, there will be ugly strikeouts, but also some really enticing offensive upside behind two of the most dangerous hitters in baseball and one of the top rookies in Wells.
Stanton is hitting .077 in his last seven contests and .185 in his last 15, so there is work to be done. The Yankees need him to get going, as he can carry a team over a short postseason series if hot, and the playoffs are mostly about catching fire at the right time.
