Giancarlo Stanton is a four-time All-Star. He’s the 2017 National League MVP. And he plays for the New York Yankees. Add that all up and things are going pretty well. But with the Home Run Derby nearing, fans were hoping to see him participate once again. However, per Kevin Kernan of the New York Post, Stanton isn’t interested.
“I’ve done it plenty of times. Take a year off, take two years off, if I want.”
That’s fair, I guess.
Besides, Stanton has other things to worry about. At 58-29, his Yankees are in prime position in the AL East but are still two games behind the Boston Red Sox. And if we remember, Stanton didn’t get off to the best of starts this season. However, he’s slashing .267/.341/.510 with 17 doubles and 21 dingers as we approach the All-Star break. Since slashing just .247/.322/.471 through May, he’s hitting .304/.374/.582 with 10 home runs over a 34-game sample.
All Stanton wants to do now is get better.
“After a slow start, I kept pushing and I still have some more to do, it would be great to be voted in. You have to keep fighting until you can’t. I’m not going to have the opportunity to be here forever, so that’s what I always say. As long as I can work I will try to get better. Keep pushing.”
Meanwhile, fellow Yankee slugger Aaron Judge won’t defend his title. Now that he’s in the All-Star Game, Bryce Harper will probably participate.
So while we would love to see Stanton in it for selfish reasons, his reasoning make sense. Let him take a break. There are plenty of other exciting sluggers that can fill the void, so to speak. Just about everybody hits home runs now, right? Therefore MLB should have no problem filling empty slots.
Who would you like to see?
