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Say hey, baseball: Giancarlo Stanton’s injury gives Marlins a chance to rebuild
Sunday morning’s baseball includes Giancarlo Stanton’s broken hand, an emotional Bob Costas and the day major league pitchers became afraid of Bryce Harper. Subscribe for your daily Say Hey!
Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
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A team without Giancarlo Stanton is a sad team indeed. The Marlins lost their best slugger to a hand injury Friday night when the 25-year-old fractured his left hamate bone on a bad swing. Although the bone is a small one, ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian estimates a four- to six-week recovery period while Stanton undergoes surgery. It’s a big blow to the Marlins, who are heading into the second half of the season with a 31-45 record at the bottom of the National League East.
Prior to his injury, the outfielder batted .265/.346/.606 with a league-best 27 home runs and 67 RBI, in what was shaping up to be the best season of his career to date. He’s not only been the best hitter in the Marlins’ lineup, but one of their most consistent producers. The upside here is that Stanton doesn’t appear to have damaged the ligaments in his hand, which signifies a quicker recovery period and more favorable chance of getting back to his high production levels post-surgery.
The downside, obviously, is that the Marlins will have a gaping hole to fill without Stanton’s bat. A postseason berth seems even more unlikely at this point, but Stanton’s absence could give Miami an incentive to replenish their farm system in preparation for next year’s run. While it would be foolish to offload anything of real value, the Marlins have several veteran pieces that could bring a decent return at the trade deadline, among them outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and right-handers Dan Haren and Mat Latos.
- After 45 years crafting over 2.5 million baseball bats for major league legends, including Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron and Cal Ripken Jr., Louisville Slugger artisan Danny Luckett is capping an incredible career.
- The Cardinals might be one of the best-suited MLB teams to welcome an openly gay player.
- Did Franklin Morales plunk Stephen Vogt on purpose? No one but A’s manager Bob Melvin seems to think so.
- The Yankees need to look outside their roster if they want to get serious about hitting lefties.
- Bob Costas pulled no punches after Cubs’ reliever Pedro Strop turned out a poor performance against the Cardinals on Friday.
- General manager Omar Minaya left the Mets five years ago, but his prospects continue to impact the team in meaningful ways.
- When did major league pitchers become afraid of Bryce Harper?
- Robinson Cano became the unfortunate victim of an errant throw when he was sitting in the dugout during Saturday’s game against the Angels. Despite sustaining a sizable bump to the forehead, the Mariners infielder managed to avoid a concussion.
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