Yankees Star Slugger Shows He Still Has Old School Mentality

At least once a year, Brian Cashman, Hal Steinbrenner, and Aaron Boone will each make a declaration. They'll all convey at separate times in the season the belief that, every year, the goal for the New York Yankees is to win a championship. It's a high standard they have set for themselves, and yet, coming from this trio, it all rings hollow. In fact, they are more associated with a 16-year drought in which the organization made the World Series once than with any actual aspirations to be winners.

With Boone, Cashman, and Steinbrenner, it could just be the messenger that's making fans wince. When it comes out of the mouth of somebody more respectable, it feels like something the elder Steinbrenner himself once muttered during the championship years that only now exist on World Series movies you can find on YouTube — case in point with Giancarlo Stanton.

NJ.com's Bob Klapisch spoke with Stanton about the team's inability to win a World Series during his tenure in New York, which began in 2018. Stanton's assessment was straightforward.

"It's an incomplete story," Stanton told Klapisch, keeping it short, yet blunt. "The point of being a Yankee is being a champion. There's always going to be a stain there without that (celebration). Whether it's good or bad or just okay, there's going to be something that's not completed."

Oct 19, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) celebrates after beating the Cleveland Guardians during game five of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Expectations Grow Every Year

Stain is a harsh way to put it. It's also fair, considering this is the weight the Yankees have decided to carry every single year since their last World Series win. Even the Cowboys ceased to espouse similar Super Bowl mantras.

Derek Jeter hasn't suited up to play baseball in over 12 years. Yet the legacy his teams left serves more as a shadow over the current crop of players, led by captain Aaron Judge, who probably feels like he's carrying mountains on his shoulders at this point. Judge has become an all-time great player, and yet, for now, a part of his legacy is this drought as well, whether it's fair to peg it on him or not.

Oct 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a three-run home run in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This is why, when Stanton says being a Yankee is about becoming a champion, it feels legitimate. Just like Judge, he too carries mountains on his shoulders, considering he was the biggest acquisition of the Judge years, and was brought to New York primarily to get this team a championship.

Stanton in the Postseason

The thing with Stanton, though, is that nobody has tried harder than him to bring that 28th title back to the Bronx. He has had one poor postseason run. It was his first in 2018 and in 2025. Outside of these two instances, there may be no more dependable bat in the playoffs than Big G.

Among all Yankees with at least 100 plate appearances in the postseason, Stanton is 8th with a 147 wRC+. He's tied with Mickey Mantle in that department.

Stanton's .926 postseason OPS is 7th. He's behind the greats like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Reggie Jackson, and the most recent World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui.

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