FanSided

BREAKING: Giancarlo Stanton is super good at baseball

By Michael Napoles |
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 5: Giancarlo Stanton
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 5: Giancarlo Stanton

The Miami Marlins completed a sweep of the Colorado Rockies. Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run in every game of the series.

If you haven’t been watching Miami Marlins baseball games, you’ve been missing out. They’ve got this guy on their team, he’s huge. He plays right field and he hits the ball further than anyone else in baseball. His name is Giancarlo Stanton.

Having battled injury problems at various points of his career, Stanton is finally putting together a full season. Not only has he surpassed his career high in home runs with 46-games remaining in the season, but he’s also tied the franchise single-season home run record.

Say what you will about his contract, Giancarlo Stanton is earning his paycheck this season.

No doubt, the home runs have been nice. There have been a lot of them, and lately it seems like he hits one every at bat. But even more encouraging than the long ball has been his approach in each at bat. Stanton appears to have more control of the strike zone than ever before.

While the 6-foot-6, 245-pound slugger has always had the ability to hit the ball a mile, he’s historically been something of a one-trick-pony. High power numbers, high strikeouts, low-batting average. This season, Stanton is seeing increases across the board.

His SO% through the first six seasons of his career is 28.5%, while this year it 23.8%. His slash numbers compared to his career averages are all up, with a career high in slugging percentage leading the way.

More from Marlin Maniac

If he continues at this pace, even a slightly diminished pace for the rest of the season, a career highs in RBI’s, doubles, runs scored, hits, total bases, and OPS appear inevitable.

This season, Giancarlo Stanton has shown an evolution from pure power hitter, to hitter that happens to hit for a lot of power.

Miami Marlins first Hall of Fame player?

At only 27-years old, it’s still too early to speak with any confidence. But Giancarlo Stanton is halfway to the HoF plateau of 500 HR. Now with 250 jonrones on his career, the number seems highly likely.

Suppose for a minute that Stanton stays with the Miami Marlins for the length of his 13-year mega deal. With Gary Sheffield‘s induction highly questionable,  he would enter the Hall of Fame as the Marlins first ever inductee.

Stanton is now entering his peak as a ballplayer. For the next six seasons or so, he should crank out the best years of his career. If he can manage to stay healthy, something he’s done this year, the sky is the limit.

Next: Marlins complete sweep of Rockies

This season Giancarlo Stanton is proving that he’s more than a home run hitting machine. While the career high in home runs grabs the most headlines, it’s hardly the only area of his game that his seen a marked improvement.

Batting second in the lineup appears to have changed his approach at the plate in a dangerously positive way. Does he stay there in 2018? That’s a question for Don Mattingly, assuming he stays on as manager under Derek Jeter.

For now, the Miami Marlins will continue to ride Stanton’s career year to wins as they try to make themselves relevant in the National League again.

Home / Marlins News

Schedule