The Yankees rumors continue to swirl around New York and the rest of the MLB as the Yankees look to win their 28th World Series. The New York Yankees traded for NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton back in December, the move was supposed to give New York the best outfield in baseball. The Yankees led the majors in home runs in 2017 with 142 and adding Stanton should only increase that number. Perhaps the Yankees are forgetting about a critical part of the game, defense. Now that spring training is underway all eyes are on the Bronx Bombers and when a superstar struggles, it's going to create headlines.
Yankees Rumors: Manny Machado Will Reportedly Be A Yankee By The Start Of Next Season
In Stanton's first start in left field for the Yankees on Sunday he struggled to handle three fly balls hit to him, the sun was bright, and the wind was blowing, which didn't make life easier for Stanton. His outfield struggles happened in the second, fourth, and fifth inning, with one fly ball hitting his glove, one ending up bouncing and going over the fence for a ground-rule double, and the other landing in front of him for a single. Not the start the Yankees and Stanton were hoping for since he is expected to be playing one of the corner outfield spots this season. As you can imagine this is creating a lot of Yankees news.
Despite his struggles, Stanton didn't deny his struggles with the sun.
“They were in the sun, but it doesn’t matter,” Stanton said. “It’s still part of the game.”
The last time Stanton played left field was all the way back in 2010 when he played five games for Double-A Jacksonville. It was obvious Stanton was comfortable in left field, but the weather conditions made the situation worse.
“I felt all right out there,” Stanton said. “I got some bad balls that didn’t help the team at all. I have to find a way to get behind them or do something with those, but I felt all right. The routes and everything were good, the rest not as much.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone doesn't seem worried about Stanton struggles, in fact, he was optimistic.
“Honestly, today I kind of saw what I wanted to see, because it is different, going to that side,” Boone said. “The first-step reads, moving toward the ball, I was pleased with all that, and I think this is a good start in the process.
“But at the end of the day I also want and need and expect him to feel comfortable out there, and that’s why he and Aaron Judge are all part of this process. We’ll kind of talk through it, work through it each day in their work. But honestly, I saw nothing today that didn’t keep me from still being optimistic about him.”
THE EMPIRE: This NEW Yankees Hype Video Is The Best Thing You'll See Today
The Yankees plan to stick with Judge and Stanton in left field, and Stanton will once again get the start in left field on Tuesday. Stanton spirits remain high when he was asked how he can improve catching balls in the sun.
“You get sun vision, so you can see right through the sun," Stanton said.
Follow our New York Yankees team page for all the latest Yankees news!
FOLLOW: Mitchell Renz is the Senior Writer & On-Air Host at Chat Sports. Check out his article archive and live videos on Chat Sports Facebook page. Please follow him on Twitter @MitchellRenz365.
Back to the New York Yankees Newsfeed