The New York Yankees don’t hand out praise lightly, especially when it comes to Hall of Fame talk. Yet Giancarlo Stanton, after crushing career home run No. 450 on Saturday night in Baltimore, is forcing the conversation. Randy Miller of NJ.com made the case that Stanton is already tracking toward Cooperstown, and the numbers back him up.
The Power Numbers That Matter
Stanton’s three-run shot against the Orioles wasn’t just a momentum swing in a 6–1 Yankees win. It was a milestone marker, placing him in exclusive company. Only 40 players in Major League history have more homers than Stanton, and among active hitters, he now stands alone.
The next threshold—500 home runs—is one of the sport’s sacred numbers. According to Miller, 28 players have ever reached it. Nineteen are already in the Hall of Fame, two aren’t yet eligible, and the rest are weighed down by PED ties. In other words, history suggests that if Stanton can stay healthy long enough to crack the club, Cooperstown will likely come calling.
“I’m capable of doing it,” Stanton admitted postgame. “It’s just one at a time. That’s all I can do.”
He already owns an NL MVP, an ALCS MVP, an All-Star Game MVP, five All-Star appearances, and some of the most prolific postseason power numbers in recent memory. Add in his unmatched Statcast metrics—an 80.5-mph average bat speed and 94.5-mph average exit velocity—and the resume is beginning to resemble a Hall of Famer’s.
More Than Just the Numbers
Of course, Stanton’s story hasn’t been linear. Injuries have slowed him during his Yankees tenure, and the early boos in the Bronx made his 2018 season feel more burden than breakthrough. But the player who endured those struggles has evolved into one of the team’s most respected voices.
Manager Aaron Boone didn’t hesitate when asked if Stanton’s career stacks up with Cooperstown credentials. “He’s still going in what’s a Hall of Fame career,” Boone said. “He’s an awesome person, awesome teammate … dangerous, man. Unicorn.”
That mental toughness has been as defining as his power. Stanton played through tennis elbow in both arms last year—something fans didn’t know until long after the postseason—and still slugged 27 homers with 72 RBI in the regular season, plus seven more homers in October.
This season, after missing the first 70 games, he’s hit .268 with 21 homers in just 70 games. That pace extrapolates to a full-season total near his MVP days. It also underscores what Miller pointed out: the road to 500, even 600 home runs, is not far-fetched if his health holds.
Teammate Carlos Rodón summed up the clubhouse view: “I would say he’s making a case. Who knows what happens? Obviously, he’s still got a few years left in him, so I’m excited to see him hit many more homers.”
For Stanton, the respect matters as much as the milestones. After passing legends like Vladimir Guerrero and Jeff Bagwell on the home run list, he took time to learn about their careers. His reverence for the game’s history matches his place within it.
That’s why his 450th homer ended up in the hands of a young fan wearing a No. 27 jersey. Stanton made sure to trade signed memorabilia for the ball, then stuffed it into a sock. The same way he keeps all his milestone souvenirs.
Someday, those mementos may sit in a Cooperstown display case. For now, Stanton’s bat is making the argument better than any ballot debate.