Marlins Giancarlo Stanton Sends Message With Derby Win

Remember when Nuke LaLoosh told Crash Davis* he wanted to announce his presence with authority?

Giancarlo Stanton just did that. Big time. And if there was a bull in the outfield bleachers, you can bet Big G would have won a free steak.

Instead he’ll have to settle for the handsome hardware he’s flashing above, and the title of 2016 Home Run Derby Champion.

Punishing the ball and the ballpark from start to finish, Stanton clubbed a record 61 HR en route to the victory. It was a victory that was a long time coming to, as projections upon his promotion to the majors had the award being renamed after him at this point. But a string of injuries and bad luck had limited one of the game’s most prolific power hitters (when healthy) to just one prior appearance entering tonight’s contest at Petco.

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He made up for it tonight.

How he did it, precise distances on all the moonshots, you can get elsewhere. This piece isn’t about recapping America’s favorite round of batting practice. Well, alright, one look.

And he hit another one 497 ft. And alright, all twenty of the hardest hit HRs of the night belonged to him. Pretty sure I read that Statcast has been renamed Giancarlo-Vision.

It was incredible to watch. The real story, however, is the message Stanton just sent to the rest of the league. Remember, he’s not in the All-Star Game. Could of had four days off. He wanted to win this though, closing the door on what been a dismal first half for him and kicking in the door to the second with all of his strength.

Okay, one last clip.

Wowzer.

He played it cool when asked why he came, focusing on loving and being from the West Coast. Remember, he lives there in the offseason. Played it cool to the point that I half expected him to just say, “look, I don’t trust A.J. Ramos being alone in the house with my stuff” or “Jeffrey wouldn’t let me take the jet home unless I participated, and I hate flying commercial.”

But that speech when he was accepting the trophy, that “I came for this and I’m taking it”, that’s the message the rest of the National League should be filing away. A message that should have them quaking in their boots. Every story that’s bothered to take notice of the Marlins has mentioned, fairly, that the most impressive part about their success has been twofold: that they’ve done it without Dee Gordon, and that they’ve done it with Stanton having in many ways the worst first half of his career.

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That terrible first half, that awful slump….that’s still seen him pound out 20 HRs. And now, with a four homer stretch that won him NL Player of the Week honors heading into the break under his belt, he’s announcing as loudly as he can that he’s just about back to being the player the paced MLB in homers and RBIs before his 2015 injury. That he’s just about back to being the player that nearly, and should have anyway, won the 2014 NL MVP award.

Giancarlo Stanton is locked and loaded for the second half. Buckle up Marlins fans, it’s gonna be a heck of a ride.

*Please note that I meant the venerable catcher of the Durham Bulls and minor league HR king, not the actual Crash Davis

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