Earlier this week, New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton got to face off against his former team, the Miami Marlins. He spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career with the Marlins, turning into one of the most feared power hitters in baseball.
Twice in his career with the Marlins, Stanton led the majors in home runs. In 2017, his final season with the franchise, he blasted a career-high 59 home runs en route to winning the MVP award.
During the following offseason, Stanton was traded to the Yankees in exchange for Starlin Castro, Jose Devers and Jorge Guzman. It was mostly a salary dump by Miami, who didn’t want to pay Stanton’s massive contract.
It wasn’t a deal that either team has come away feeling like they are big winners of. The Yankees are paying a lot of money for a player who has broken down in front of their eyes. Stanton rarely gets in the field anymore and has had some injury-riddled seasons.
A threat every time he steps to the plate still to hit a home run, the Yankees likely were hoping to get a little more out of the former MVP. In his tenure with New York, he hasn’t come close to replicating the success he had with Miami.
While Stanton’s power numbers are as prolific with the Yankees, they are still much more than what the Marlins have. During the telecast this week between the teams, a wild statistic was shown on YES Network.
It turns out the Marlins have not found a way to replace the power that Stanton brings to their lineup. The 58 home runs that Stanton has with the Marlins since 2017 still lead the team. He hasn’t played with them in seven seasons yet they haven’t had a player total more than 58 home runs in that span.
It is hard to fathom that someone who hasn’t been with a franchise in as long as Stanton has been away from the Marlins can still lead a team in any statistic. That just goes to show how special of a season Stanton had when he won the MVP and how difficult it has been for the Marlins to cultivate talent since.
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