Giancarlo Stanton's stunning lack of speed even caught Michael Kay off-guard

New York Yankees fans ripped Giancarlo Stanton to shreds for his dismal baserunning on Monday that proved to be costly in what was eventually a 2-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, and even YES Network's play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay was caught off guard by the lack of speed shown from the slugger.

What appeared to be a routine base hit for Yankees catcher Austin Wells quickly became a fielder's choice because of the poor attempt at running the bases from Stanton, leaving Kay in shock after realizing the former MVP was a force out at second on the play.

The lack of speed from Giancarlo Stanton as he ran the bases even caught Michael Kay off-guard

“That’s a base hit over the try of [Jordan] Westburg,” Kay voiced after Wells hit the ball hard into right field, just over the outstretched arms of Jordan Westburg. But the disappointment after seeing Stanton fail to reach second base safely left the announcer in awe.

“Stanton had to hold up to see if it cleared Westburg, then he doesn’t have great speed, so once he took off, he got forced. That’s not a hit now for Wells,” Kay deflatingly stated.

However, Stanton froze as the ball was hit and inched closer to first base before, making it easy for Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander to throw him out at second with his lack of speed.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently stated Stanton could be slowing down as he rounds the bases to "protect [himself] a little bit." However, the decision-making process has been costing the Yankees scoring opportunities, which is increasingly important in a tight AL East divisional race.

While he clearly appears to be slowing down in the latter stage of his career and age-34 campaign, Stanton must be willing to run with more effort and purpose than he displayed on Monday in Baltimore.