Giancarlo Stanton needs a championship more than any other Yankee

Giancarlo Stanton is 47 home runs away from being the first player in history to have a better chance of entering Cooperstown than Monument Park.

We realize that sounds ridiculous. But it is true. Stanton will likely get to 500 homers. He’s at 453, only turns 37 in November and has hit 141 over the last five years despite missing over a season and a half worth of games. The math is pretty straightforward. And when Stanton gets there, the Hall of Fame will almost assuredly follow. It may take him a few years to get there, but he will. Even if he cannot open a bag of potato chips.

Getting a plaque from the Yankees, though, may be a different story. Maybe they would hang it out of obligation given he’d be wearing their cap in immortality. But the Bombers — and Stanton — must realize he is currently the strangest outlier in the franchise’s storied history. Which is why he — not Aaron Judge, not Aaron Boone — needs a World Series win more than anyone else in pinstripes.

“The story is still being written,” Stanton told reporters last week in Tampa. “But the point of being a Yankee is being a champion. There’s always going to be a stain there without that.”

This one is unlike any other. The Yankees have never had a player of Stanton’s caliber accomplish so little over an extended period of service. Even the quote-unquote good comparisons are further clear of him than Secretariat was of Twice A Prince in Belmont.

Alex Rodriguez made seven All-Star teams in 13 seasons, winning three Silver Sluggers, two MVPs, four top-12 MVP voting finishes and a World Series.

Dave Winfield was an All-Star in all eight of his full seasons with five Silver Sluggers, five Gold Gloves and six top-12 finishes in MVP voting.

Gary Sheffield was a two-time All-Star with two Silver Sluggers and two top-12 MVP finishes in just three seasons.

Stanton has made one All-Star game and won an ALCS MVP in eight years.

That’s it.

Sure, injuries have been an issue. And Stanton has had moments in the postseason. But still. There are no medals for trying in the Bronx. There is only one result that matters — and it is the one Stanton and his legacy need more than anyone.