Giancarlo Stanton, OF, New York Yankees
The slow start
Giancarlo Stanton’s first month as a Yankee ended up being perfectly average (100 wRC+ in 128 plate appearances), but he sure did have his struggles. He finished the month with a 33.6% strikeout rate, which is actually impressive considering he suffered through two five-strikeout performances and was pushing 40.0% for a period of time.
The slugging outfielder also produced a .195 ISO, which is actually a pretty good mark. It’s not at all what people in the Bronx were waiting all winter to see, though.
The recovery
Let’s just say the market has corrected itself. Through 80 plate appearances, Stanton already has more homers (6) than last month (5) and is slashing .314/.388/.643, which susses out to a 174 wRC+. His strikeout rate has also decreased to 23.8% this month, which is more along the lines of his career norms.
Stanton’s hard-hit rate has stayed consistent (43.7% to 44.2%), but it’s interesting to note that his soft-hit rate went from 15.5% in April to his current 30.8% mark in May. Baseball is weird sometimes.
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