Leaner … and meaner? Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton looks to climb back from rock-bottom
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — All it takes is one glance to notice Giancarlo Stanton is much leaner this spring than he was when the New York Yankees‘ 2023 season unceremoniously ended.
Stanton prefers not to discuss the change. Not that he was out of shape before. He’s been a mass of muscle ever since making his major league debut 14 years ago. He has always looked more like a tight end than a baseball player. He still does.
“He’s jacked, bro,” Aaron Judge said. “It’s crazy.”
Stanton pointed out that he alters his routine every offseason, adjusting and reacting to the failures or successes of the previous year. But 2023 was different — it was rock-bottom.
Last season bordered on embarrassment, prompting his latest reassessment. Now 34, Stanton concluded carrying less weight would help him get through the coming season healthy. After last year, when even running the bases seemed like a struggle for him at times, Stanton focused on improving his mobility, on adding explosiveness, on becoming more of a spark on the diamond.
Stanton has also made a small change in the batter’s box. He’s moved his hands slightly closer to his body to stay on inside pitches more.
“This is a game of millimeters,” Stanton said, “so slight is huge in some aspects.”
The question is: Will it all work?
“You gotta be willing to make the changes,” Stanton said, “and trust the direction you’re going when you do it.”
This is about finding a detour. Stanton, who arrived in the Bronx after his best and healthiest season, a National League MVP campaign with the Miami Marlins in 2017, has played more than 110 games in just two of his six years in New York. He has landed on the injured list each of the last five seasons, and eight times total. He’s missed time with biceps, knee, quadriceps, hamstring, and calf injuries. In 2022, Achilles tendinitis derailed his All-Star season after he clubbed 24 home runs with an .835 OPS in 76 games in the first half.
The 2023 season, though, was the worst of his career.
Stanton missed nearly two months with a strained hamstring. When he did play, it was ugly. He posted career lows in batting average (.191), on-base percentage (.275) and slugging percentage (.420). Not only did he look uncomfortable running the bases, he could barely play the outfield by September.
In November, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman offered a blunt assessment in a testy scrum with reporters, saying Stanton “is going to wind up getting injured again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game.”
That sparked a public response from Stanton’s agent, Joel Wolfe. “I think it’s a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York both foreign and domestic,” Wolfe said in a statement to The Athletic while also making a thinly veiled reference to another one of his clients, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, “that to play for that team you’ve got to be made of Teflon, both mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason.”
Both Cashman and Stanton have said the episode is behind them. And Cashman’s harsh evaluation didn’t change this fact: Stanton isn’t going anywhere.
Stanton has four years and $128 million guaranteed remaining on his contract. The Yankees are on the hook for $98 million — the Marlins will pay the rest. Moving that money off the payroll by dealing Stanton is next to impossible at this juncture. Instead, the Yankees made offseason moves to deepen their lineup and lessen the impact should Stanton have another disastrous season.
Juan Soto was acquired to be the one-two punch partner with Judge that Stanton has lately failed to be. Alex Verdugo and Trent Grisham — along with Soto — were added to the outfield rotation. The Yankees hope Stanton can cycle through the outfield rotation twice a week, giving Soto and Judge a chance to take his usual DH spot. But the Yankees don’t have to rely on that happening to win games. A productive Stanton season is gravy.
“First and foremost, hopefully health,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when asked what he thinks Stanton’s slimmer build could produce. “But definitely moving around, being more athletic, being more of a presence on the bases. More of a realistic option in the field. All those things.”
Stanton got off to a slow start in Grapefruit League play, going 1-for-15 with one walk through six games. He has since posted three multihit games and hit his first spring training home run Saturday.
“He looks really good to me for what he’s trying to do up there,” hitting coach James Rowson said earlier this month. “He has a plan on what he wants to do. It’s not necessarily right now about the results. It’s more about the process. And his process is really good. It’s been really good down in the cage.
“His preparation to come out here every day has been incredible. Like something I haven’t seen before.”
Ultimately, it’s about where Stanton is at this summer and, the Yankees hope, when his team returns to October after missing the playoffs in 2023. Is he on the injured list? On the bench? In the lineup every day enjoying a bounce-back season?
Stanton looks different. It won’t matter if the results are the same.
“I want to help us win a championship,” Stanton said. “Obviously, if I produce the way I can, we’ll be in a good spot to do that, and that’s my job to do.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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