The Yankees beat the Mariners on Thursday afternoon, 5-0, on the energy of nice pitching and solo homers from Aaron Decide and Giancarlo Stanton. Decide’s prolonged heater continues, however let’s latch onto the Stanton shot and his season — profession, too! — as a complete.
This is the prodigious blast:
That was No. 12 on the season for Stanton and he is now as much as 27 RBI.
Extra importantly, Stanton has been in a position to keep away from the injured checklist this season. He is now performed in 45 of their 52 video games. He appeared in 101 final yr, 110 in 2022, 139 in 2021, solely 23 of the 60 in 2020 and simply 18 in 2019. It is necessary to notice all of the accidents he is had in these years, as a result of Stanton was completely on a Corridor of Fame observe earlier than that.
By means of 2018, Stanton had gained an MVP and completed because the runner-up as soon as. He was simply completed together with his age-28 season and had 305 homers with 772 RBI. With a participant of his stature, you would argue he was roughly midway by his profession, so be at liberty to double these energy numbers in your head. He was additionally sporting a profession 144 OPS+ with 1,124 hits and 678 runs. He had led the league in slugging thrice, residence runs twice, RBI as soon as, WAR as soon as and whole bases as soon as.
He seemed like he can be a Corridor of Famer on the time.
And now? With the whole lot we all know that has occurred since then? Is there an opportunity he nonetheless would possibly salvage an honest Corridor of Fame case?
The house run on Thursday was the 414th of Stanton’s profession. He is as much as 1,058 RBI and 1,495 hits. He is signed by 2027. And regardless of all these aforementioned accidents that always stored him off the sphere, Stanton nonetheless hit 35 homers in 2021, 31 in 2022 and 24 in 2023.
If you happen to take a look at Stanton’s top-10 most comparable statistical gamers by final season, it is already a formidable group: Corridor of Famers Willie Stargell, Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey and Mike Schmidt. Mark McGwire can also be there.
Stanton’s a slugger and you would even argue that is his final remaining talent. That is the place stuff like WAR will ding him. Certain sufficient, in WAR/JAWS, Stanton at present reveals effectively under the typical Corridor of Fame proper fielder. He is thirty eighth in JAWS, sitting across the likes of Rocky Colavito and Rusty Staub, although additionally inside very shut vary of Corridor of Famers Kiki Cuyler, Harry Hooper and Tony Oliva whereas being forward of Corridor of Famers King Kelly and Sam Thompson. He is far forward of Harold Baines and Ross Youngs.
Nonetheless, I am much less apprehensive about this as a result of I feel the opening is simply racking up the house runs. There’s realistically an excellent shot Stanton tops 500 residence runs.
If we might all agree that the very best factor a hitter can do on a given plate look is hit a house run — and you would be a idiot to earnestly disagree — that is the place this avenue actually carries heavy weight for Stanton.
Solely 28 gamers in MLB historical past have ever reached 500 profession residence runs. Attending to 500 residence runs alone was once an computerized election line to the Corridor of Fame. The one gamers there who have not been inducted both have PED ties (honest or not) or have not but develop into eligible (Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols, and so they’ll each get in with ease).
There’s the problem of the watering down of the 500-home run mark to contemplate, however residence runs have downturned because the so-called “Steroid Period.” A whopping 10 of the 28 500-HR hitters received to the edge between McGwire (Aug. 5, 1999) and Gary Sheffield (April 17, 2009). Since then, we have solely seen three (Pujols, David Ortiz and Cabrera) and Stanton is the lively residence run chief at 414.
Mainly, for those who imagine attending to 500 residence runs as an accomplishment was cheapened, it was solely actually cheapened throughout the span of a decade. Issues have gotten again to the extent of sanity now.
Additional, Stanton has an opportunity to fly far sufficient previous 500 to show some heads. Frank Thomas, Ted Williams and McCovey are tied for twentieth place with 521. It is affordable to imagine Stanton will get previous 521, proper? He is at 414 proper now and averaged precisely 30 homers per season from 2021-23. He is signed by 2027. He can get to 525ish.
There’s additionally the entire “really feel” argument. You already know the one. “He simply does not really feel like a Corridor of Famer to me.” Properly, positive, now he does not. Do you keep in mind Stanton from, say, 2012-18? The dude who averaged 45 homers and 113 RBI per 162 video games who made a run at 60 in a season (falling one brief in 2017, although profitable MVP for a non-playoff staff)? Individuals utilized the “some of the feared sluggers in baseball” earlier than, with Jim Rice being one of many simple examples. Stanton was completely some of the feared sluggers in baseball for that time frame and there have been a number of stretches the place he was the most feared.
Bear in mind what a phenom he was at such a younger age, too.
Stanton ranks eighth in profession homers by age 28, behind A-Rod, Ken Griffey Jr., Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Mathews, Mickey Mantle, Pujols and Mel Ott. Which means he is forward of an terrible lot of all-time nice sluggers.
Contemplating the whole lot above, if Stanton results in twentieth place all-time in residence runs whereas having gained an MVP and led the league in slugging thrice and homers twice — along with having been appointment viewing as a feared slugger for a five-year span — should not he be a Corridor of Famer?
It positive looks like the reply to that query needs to be a sure.
In fact, Stanton nonetheless has loads of work to do and staying on the sphere is chief among the many considerations. If he falls in need of 500 homers, overlook about it.
To this point in 2024, although, he appears to be heading in the right direction and that’s protecting his Corridor of Fame probabilities alive, even when the case would possibly really be on life help.
