Stanton's 1st HR of spring: 420 ft., 115 mph
After Yankees slugger goes deep, Torres follows with huge HR of his own
TAMPA, Fla. -- Giancarlo Stanton is fascinated by technological advancements like Statcast, which can use a combination of cameras and radars to reveal precisely how hard a baseball is hit. No wonder: if you could swing the bat like him, you’d love seeing those numbers, too.
Stanton crushed a 115.1-mph missile over the left-field wall for a three-run homer in the third inning of Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Pirates, then Gleyber Torres followed with a 429-foot solo shot off the left-field scoreboard at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The back-to-back blasts came off Bucs left-hander Tyler Anderson.
“If you hit the ball hard and find the hole or the wall -- or over the fence -- that’s a good thing,” Stanton said. “It’s just extra added info that’s pretty cool to see, especially since the first half of my career I didn’t get to see that.”
The topic came up hours before Stanton’s 420-foot drive toward the parking lot because Yankees manager Aaron Boone was among those still buzzing about a pair of Stanton doubles in Sunday’s exhibition against the Phillies. Stanton’s Wednesday performance did nothing to dampen his skipper’s enthusiasm.
“He's such a more evolved player in his focus, his process, his plan,” Boone said. “His understanding of what he needs to do to be successful up there, what opposing pitchers are trying to do. I just feel like he hasn't been on the field to let that growth he's had as a player and as a hitter manifest.”
Stanton's doubles on Sunday off Zack Wheeler and Ivan Nova were clocked at 109.8 mph and 109.4 mph, respectively, though Stanton said that he doesn’t necessarily need the data to gauge his swing -- when Stanton hits it right, he knows.
“That’s something that usually comes to me, but I do think now most fields have [the data] up on the big screen, which is good,” Stanton said. “It’s pretty cool for fans and people that might not understand how fast this game moves.”
Stanton’s homer in Wednesday’s game conjured memories of his performance in last year’s postseason, when he belted six homers and collected 13 RBIs in seven games against the Indians and Rays. Stanton said that he uses the spring to fine-tune his timing, not to collect gaudy statistics.
“I’m not really worried about the numbers that come out there,” Stanton said. “Even to look back over the years, I’ve never said that I’m going to want to hit this many [regular-season homers] or do this or that. If I’m out there, I can have time to adjust to what I see in any new rhythms of the game and how I’m being pitched.”
As Stanton and Boone both alluded, being between the white lines may be the only thing keeping Stanton from another MVP-caliber campaign. After playing in only 41 of 222 regular-season games over the past two seasons, Stanton hopes that swapping bulky weights for increased cardiovascular activity could set up a healthy and productive season.
To that end, Stanton has been working with Eric Cressey, the Yanks’ director of player health and performance, on a new regimen that includes yoga. Stanton said he feels more agile than in previous years and expects that he’ll even get to patrol the outfield for a few innings before the team goes north.
“You’ve just got to switch something up,” Stanton said. “Even if you think you’re doing things right, if something doesn’t seem to be working, you’ve got to make adjustments. That’s the name of this game -- always advancing and trying to improve.”