“He’s doing a good job recognizing off-speed” – MLB analyst says Giancarlo Stanton’s improvement with secondary pitches has led to power surge

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is coming off a game against the Houston Astros where he smoked a baseball 119.9 mph off his bat. This is the hardest-hit ball of the 2024 season.

It came against rookie pitcher Spencer Arrighetti. Arrighetti tried to fool Stanton with a curveball, but he got every stitch of that ball for his eighth home run of the season.

MLB Network analyst and former Miami Marlins teammate of Stanton, Xavier Scruggs, believes Stanton's recognition of off-speed pitches has been a reason for his success.

"He's doing a good job of recognizing off-speed, and I think that's the big thing for Giancarlos Stanton. If he's recognizing off-speed, he's able to have some better at-bats, especially against the fastball," - said Scruggs.

Stanton recently lost his cleanup spot two games ago but has been on fire since. In his last two games, he is 2-for-8 with two home runs over 118 mph.

"We know he can hit the ball as far as anybody, but I love seeing this. Going the other way against the Tigers in the ninth inning when they're down one run, recognizing a fastball on the outter-half of the plate," - said Scruggs.

And while he has been showing off his power, Stanton has also been able to drive in runs by recognizing pitches early and hitting them where they are thrown.

MLB analyst believes Yankees could be a real threat if Giancarlo Stanton keeps this up

New York Yankees - Alex Verdugo and Giancarlo Stanton (Image via USA Today)

Without a doubt, the Yankees became a better team over the offseason. With the acquisitions of Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto, the club has finally found a sound outfield they do not have to worry about, and both have been great in the lineup.

Pair that with what Giancarlo Stanton is doing, and the things that Aaron Judge can do, the Bronx Bombers are scary. There are little breaks in this lineup for opposing pitchers.

"Soto and Judge are going to be great, they're going to put up their numbers, but if you have Stanton doing it too, then you are talking about one of the most dominant offenses in all of baseball" - said Scruggs.

With the offensive firepower they have, the Yanks could seriously be a threat this postseason. However, there is still a long way to go in the season before we start talking about that.