25 most important stars for MLB playoffs

1. Giancarlo Stanton

The 2019 season has been the most trying season of Giancarlo Stanton’s 10-year MLB career. The 2017 NL MVP has essentially only been active for two weeks of the regular season after dealing with biceps and knee injuries. He has been on and off the injured list multiple times and worked through lengthy rehab stints that came with fits and starts. The Yankees have still won well over 100 games without Stanton’s services.

Stanton played poorly last season when the Yankees lost the ALDS 3-1 to the Boston Red Sox, hitting just .222/.222/.222 with six strikeouts. It was his first chance to step up in the playoffs, and he fell flat on his face. Stanton hasn’t exactly endeared himself to Yankees fans in his two years in the Bronx. He struck out 211 times last season and saw his OPS drop over 150 points from his MVP levels.

This is certainly an important postseason for the Yankees franchise as they attempt to win a World Series for the first time since 2009. It’s also an important postseason for Stanton, who needs to do something big to win over the Yankee fanbase. He is just 4-for-18 with one home run in his first six games since returning on September 18. That doesn’t exactly point to great things coming in October.

Clearly the Yankees are a dangerous team on the American League side of the playoff bracket, but they’ll face a stiff challenge from Houston’s three-headed monster of aces. The Yankees won’t get past the Astros without some major contributions from their most expensive slugger. This postseason has the potential to serve as the first real defining moment of Stanton’s career.