Giancarlo Stanton finally seems to have settled in with Yankees
With a head-turning 111.0 mph exit velocity, Stanton's 21st home run of the season was bombastically announced with a deep and bellowing crack that echoed throughout Yankee Stadium as the ball traveled deep toward the right-field bleachers. The sound of the hit was quickly eclipsed by the shouts and applause of a sellout crowd that Stanton may have finally won over for good.
Something else that swing, which resulted in a 410-foot three-run home run, showed? To borrow, on the most American of holidays, a phrase uttered by a litany of U.S. presidents: The state of Giancarlo Stanton is strong.
"I'm getting there," Stanton said following the Yankees' 6-2 Independence Day win over the Atlanta Braves. "Still have work to do. But it's a good feeling right now."
Sure, there is still plenty for Stanton to improve. His 115 strikeouts in 83 games are proof of that. But at long last it appears he's genuinely confident about where he's headed on the heels of a tough transition following his trade from the Miami Marlins last December.nike nfl jerseys wholesale cheap
"[I'm] having better overall at-bats. There's still some sloppy ones in there, but consistent, better plans, better approach overall," Stanton said. "I'm just giving myself the best chance to be successful out there."
The Yankees will need Stanton to take advantage of as many of those chances as possible in the next couple of weeks as they play without Gleyber Torres. The 21-year-old Torres, who has helped key New York's offense this season, was placed on the 10-day disabled list after Wednesday's game with a hip strain.
Stanton's latest home run was his second in as many days, and his 10th since June 1. His batting average, which was as low as .222 at the start of May, is now hovering close to .270.
"He's just more competitive pitch to pitch," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "We've seen him really start to, game in and game out, there's more at-bats where he is on. And from the timing standpoint, when he's on, he's as deadly as there is. We're starting to see that on a more consistent level."
Despite an uneven start, Stanton's numbers line up near identically to where they were at this time last season, when he was the National League MVP.
At the end of play on July 4 last year, Stanton was batting .265 with 21 home runs, 52 RBIs and a .523 slugging percentage. After Wednesday's game, he's batting .267 with 21 homers, 51 RBIs and a .515 slugging percentage.cheap nike nfl jerseys paypal
Stanton's 2017 first-half numbers may have been good, but it was what he did in the second half that really earned him the MVP award. From July 4 on last season, he ripped 38 home runs in 78 games on his way to a league-leading 59-homer tally.
