This Yankee’s Off-Season Transformation Is a Positive Sign, But...

This Yankee’s Off-Season Transformation Is a Positive Sign, But Still Too Early to Dictate

By Derek McAdam

February 21, 2024

***

After a disastrous 2023 season, several players for the New York Yankees have made some drastic changes going into the 2024 season. Carlos Rodon has cut some weight and arrived to Tampa six weeks ahead of when he was required to report. Aaron Boone has already praised Rodon’s early start to Spring Training, but the results Yankee fans are looking for are what he can do in the regular season and, perhaps, the playoffs.

In addition to Rodon, Giancarlo Stanton underwent an off-season transformation, in which he lost a noticeable amount of weight. Stanton said that instead of spending most of his time in the weight room, he instead ran in hopes of becoming “more mobile.” He also developed a new swing, which is definitely needed coming off a season in which he hit an abysmal .191 at the plate. Stanton also told reporters that this past off-season was the first off-season that he was fully healthy.

While it sounds strange to say that it’s an “motivating” sign to see athletes lose weight over an off-season, especially since their salaries should be the reason they stay in the best shape possible, Stanton’s case is a bit different, as he's never been overweight. He’s 6’6 and has weighed somewhere between 240-250 pounds, which is not a bad weight for someone his height. But for someone who has been plagued by leg injuries over the past few years, for Stanton to say he’s stayed healthy over this entire off-season while doing a lot of running is a good start.

I also like that Stanton worked on a new swing, because there was one noticeable flaw to his swing last season: he was late on fastballs in the mid 90s. I’m not a hitting expert (clearly), but I’m sure the swing at least somewhat contributed to Stanton being late to some fastballs. Maybe this new swing can help with that, even if it’s just a little. But, no changes can help Stanton from swinging at pitches a foot off the plate, so we’ll see if Stanton can improve in that area as well.

Here’s my biggest concern for Stanton. I like what he has done this off-season, but it’s going to take a couple of months of regular season play to see how well things turn out for him, at least in terms of his plate appearances. It won’t take as long to see if Stanton’s swing changes pay off at the plate, but his health status will be a subject that will be under the microscope all season.

Over the past two seasons, Stanton has only played in 211 games. Over most of that span, he has been the DH for the Yankees. And while the Yankees would much rather have Aaron Judge in right field, this season may be a bit different, which may create a big opportunity for Stanton. Judge is going to start the season in center field, and Alex Verdugo will likely start in left field, which will put Juan Soto in right field. While Soto is extremely talented at the plate, his defense is the big downside to his game.

Enter Stanton. Even if Stanton only plays the outfield two or three times a week, his production dramatically increases when he’s in the field. Boone has also said the same thing for a couple of seasons now: Stanton will play more in the field. It always starts out that way, but then his time is taken away and he returns to the everyday DH role, only to see his offensive numbers decline and injury risk skyrocket.

Yes, the Yankee outfield might take a hit defensively if Stanton plays, but I’d rather have Stanton in the lineup for the majority of the season. If he’s still in the lineup everyday come July or August, his production will likely be at a satisfactory rate. It would be a win-win for both Stanton and the Yankees.

Boone should insert Stanton into the outfield for several games a week once March rolls around. The Yankees will be able to really get a sense of how “mobile” Stanton is, and can determine how they will use him once the regular season is here, which is only a little more than five weeks away.

I’m cheering for Stanton to have a bounce-back season. Sure, he’s been injured a lot and hasn’t had the best success in the Bronx, but I’ve liked him since he came to the Yankees. He’s been a professional from Day 1 and has never said anything that has turned the fanbase away from him. He’s also faced tremendous pressure from the fans and media, due to his lucrative contract and the fact that he plays for the Yankees. But he’s never used it as an excuse for his struggles.

It’s also easy to tell that Stanton truly does care about improving himself to help the Yankees win a World Series. This isn’t the first off-season that Stanton has changed some things up, although this year’s does seem to be the most encouraging one yet. If Stanton can stay healthy and improve his offense at the plate, the Yankees can have a very strong lineup behind Soto and Judge. However, as I mentioned earlier, time will only tell. After all, baseball is not played on paper.