Getty Image / Rich Schultz
The New York Yankees are geared up for their first Spring Training game of the season on Saturday when they’ll face the Detroit Tigers. With all of the stars in Tampa for Spring Training, more than a few Yankees fans have been surprised to see Giancarlo Stanton showing up looking more svelte than ever.
Stanton has a massive frame. He stands 6’6″ and has been listed at 245-pounds in the past but he looks trimmer than that in a photo where he’s joking with Aaron Judge who is 6’7″ but somehow seems to tower over Stanton who recorded several career worsts in the 2023 season including a BA of .211 and OBP of .275.
Giancarlo Stanton, a former NL MVP and 2x Home Run leader, is seeking to get back to form and a trimmed down frame might be just what he needed. Now while some Yankees fans are calling the guy unrecognizable I find that to be a massive stretch. He looks thinner, sure, but it’s not as if he is completely transformed.
They weren’t kidding when they said Giancarlo Stanton slimmed down
(via @GJoyce9) pic.twitter.com/ClVodP6cvU
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) February 19, 2024
Some Yankees fans had jokes about his height. One wrote “Wow that’s crazy it looks like he got shorter too” while another added “They said taller players are more prone to injury, so he slimmed down and cut 5 inches off his height. He’s serious about this season.”
In the quote tweets, others joked “Stanton looks like he’s done nothing but cardio this winter, and Judge has done nothing but squats.” Someone else said “This is what happens when you get a linebacker to slim down and play box safety.” One Yankees fans chimed in with “Hyped for Slim Stanton. He really put in the work to shed weight this off-season. Looks a lot like he did back on the Marlins.”
The perspective of standing next to Aaron Judge really does throw off perception:
Judge makes Stanton look like he’s been fasting https://t.co/wFsyj7cjw1
— Andrew (@Andrew4150) February 19, 2024
There’s no way of knowing if Giancarlo Stanton’s slimmed down frame will translate to improved results this season. That said, Stanton and the Yankees are favorites to win the AL East according to Las Vegas. Oddsmakers have the Yankees at +140 to win the division.
For any Boston Red Sox fans hoping for a silver lining in all this, sadly, the Sox are +1000 to win the division and it appears to be another very long season ahead.