New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton enters the 2026 season with a big opportunity. He can hit a major career milestone.
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Stanton has 453 career home runs, the 40th-most in Major League Baseball history. He just needs 47 more to reach 500 while becoming the 29th player to reach this milestone.
This would take him past such names as Jose Canseco (462), Dave Winfield (465), Chipper Jones (468), Fred McGriff (493) and Lou Gehrig (493).
How realistic is Stanton hitting the 47 home runs and reaching 500? It partially depends on the number of games in which he plays. Back in 2014, he played in 145 games and led the league with 37 home runs. He played in 159 games in 2017 and led the league with a career-high 59 home runs.
Stanton has only hit more than 40 home runs in a season one time. However, he hit 24 home runs in only 77 games last season, which would have put him on pace for 48 in 154 games. He did this while dealing with double tennis elbow.
The veteran missed time during Spring Training while continuing to recover from this ailment, but he has recently suited up for some exhibition action. He delivered two home runs during a Grapefruit League win over the Blue Jays last week. This put him at three home runs in 11 at-bat appearances since March 5.
"My timing is getting more precise, being able to replicate multiple games," Stanton told MLB.com. "I've been able to make the adjustments.
"The past game or two, my timing wasn't there. I was able to go make the adjustments and come back and feel a little better. So that's usually how spring goes. Put back to back together, put three in a row."
Manager Aaron Boone also told MLB.com that the veteran slugger is not showing wild chases as in past seasons. He's using his experience and just controlling the strike zone. This is putting him in a better position to launch balls out of the park.
