New York Yankees skipper Aaron Boone believes slugging outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will have a magnificent season in 2020.
Last year marked the second season in which Giancarlo Stanton portrayed his talents for the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly one to remember. The former National League MVP only appeared at the plate 72 times through 18 games, dealing with numerous setbacks. Stanton totaled just three home runs and 13 RBIs.
Nonetheless, that’s not to say the veteran outfielder doesn’t have the opportunity to redeem himself in 2020. He absolutely does and possesses much support from his manager, who happened to speak on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio this week.
“I think it was very frustrating for him. And, to his credit, he handled it very well,” Bombers manager Aaron Boone said of Stanton’s 2019 troubles. “He was in such a good place last year, going into the season, not only physically, but mentally.
“I felt like his process and his work, even in the small amount of games that he did play for us, is at that quality to start the season before he got hurt. Then, he came back and had the fluke [injury], where he hurt his knee on a weird slide into third base. His at-bats and his focus and his process were really, really good last year. I felt like he was going to have a monster season for us. And I feel that way very much going into this year.
“So the big thing is going to be just keeping him healthy, keeping him built up properly, using spring training smartly. And I do feel like he’s got a special season. The desire and the burn is very much there.”
Stanton dealt with bicep, shoulder, and knee injuries which all forced him to experience the most injury-plagued campaign of his career. Prior to 2019, the lowest total number of games he played in a single season was 74 in 2015.
The four-time All-Star was just one of countless Yankees who encountered stints on the injures list last season. The health issues brought upon the phrase “next man up,” which was used by the ballclub frequently.
