Giancarlo Stanton has never been known for his speed, but the New York Yankees DH looked particularly embarrassing trying to round the bases Saturday against the Houston Astros.
Stanton was on second with two outs in the bottom of the third when DJ LeMahieu hit a sharp single to center. One would have expected Stanton to score fairly easily, but that was not the case.
Stanton looked like he was essentially jogging from second to home and was thrown out by center fielder Mauricio Dubon on a play at the plate that was not remotely close.
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 5, 2023
It’s hard to figure out what happened here. Stanton seemed fully aware of the game situation, and it was not as if he significantly sped up after rounding third. If that is simply how fast he is now, it is rather worrying. There is also the chance that Stanton, who has dealt with his fair share of injury issues in recent years, is simply paranoid about getting hurt again.
Obviously, the 33-year-old Stanton is not being counted on for his speed. However, he was hitting just .205 with 17 home runs entering play Saturday. It all paints a rather concerning picture for a player the Yankees still owe $128 million to over the next four seasons.
