Mike Stanton is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2010 as a member of the then-Florida Marlins, with whom he played until the end of the 2017 season.
For the second time in his career, Stanton has led the National League (NL) in home runs, and in 2017, he hit the most in the league in 16 years, with 59.
Stanton, a 6′ 6″ (1.98 m) tall, 245 lb. hitter, is known for his physical power and ability to consistently hit long home runs (111 kg). He is a right-handed hitter and thrower.
Stanton was born and raised in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. He attended Sherman Oaks’ Notre Dame High School before being drafted by the Marlins in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft.
He was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 2017 after leading the league in home runs (59), RBIs (132), and slugging percentage (.631).
When he leads the league in home runs, Stanton wins both the NL Hank Aaron Award and the outfield Silver Slugger Award. The Marlins inked Stanton to a 13-year, $325 million contract in November 2014, making it the biggest club sports contract ever negotiated.
After the 2017 season, Stanton was dealt to the Yankees.
Why Did Mike Stanton change Name To Giancarlo?
The name he was born with. Aside from the fact that his mother actually calls him Cruz, Stanton’s full name is Giancarlo Cruz Michael Stanton, which only further complicates things.
When he was a kid, he started going by Mike because his peers couldn’t pronounce his full name, Giancarlo, correctly.
There was no official change of name for Stanton; he still signed legal documents as Giancarlo.
Giancarlo Stanton reverted back to Giancarlo when he became a major league baseball star and no longer had to worry about people mispronouncing his name. That’s not unreasonable.