So Long Struggles, Stanton is Surging in the Second Half
Giancarlo Stanton isn't going to match his NL MVP home run total from last season of 59, but he'll still hit more than 40 and he's catching a hot streak at a perfect time; to help the Yankees through albeit a soft schedule but also at a time when they are without Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.
Clearly, Stanton has become more comfortable in a Yankees uniform and more specifically a home uniform. He's homered in five of the last six games and New York has won all five of those games. No, he won't hit 59 home runs like last year, but every other metric is in line with being one of the best sluggers in baseball. (scroll down for our interview with Katie Sharp who has a number to illustrate every aspect of the Yankees).
Over the weekend, Miguel Andujar delivered his fourth go-ahead hit in the 7th inning or later this season, which is tops on this Yankees team in 2018. He's 23 years old, not as heralded as Gleyber Torres in the climb through the minors and included in nearly every trade scenario thrown out by people leading up to the deadline. All that said, he's been as valuable as anyone in the lineup. (again, check out our interview with Katie Sharp who has the numbers to back it up).
The Yankees won't catch the Red Sox in the AL East, but they still have the second-best record in all of baseball in prime position to be the top wild card team. As you might remember, the same set up as last postseason when the Yanks went all the way to a game 7 in the ALCS.