Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton's Biography

Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton, born on November 8, 1989, is an American professional baseball player known for his skill as a designated hitter and outfielder. Standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 245 pounds, Stanton has made a name for himself in Major League Baseball (MLB), with a career predominantly split between the Miami Marlins and the New York Yankees.

Stanton originates from the Greater Los Angeles region and graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. He was first picked up by the Florida Marlins, later known as the Miami Marlins, in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft. His debut in MLB came three years later in 2010 when he first stepped onto the field as a Marlins player.

He first started gaining national attention in 2014 when he led the National League in home runs. The same year, the Marlins signed Stanton to a $325 million contract over 13 years, making it the richest total dollar value contract in sports history at that time.

Stanton had his most accomplished year in 2017 when he led the MLB in home runs, runs batted in, and had the highest slugging percentage, winning him the prestigious National League Most Valuable Player Award. Following this illustrious season, he was traded to the New York Yankees. Over his career, Stanton has been selected into the MLB All-Star team five times and won the NL Hank Aaron Award and Silver Slugger Award twice, each of which he earned by leading the league in home runs.

He has roots in Panorama City, California, and is of Irish, African-American, and Puerto Rican descent. His parents, Mike Stanton and Jacinta Garay divorced when he was eight, raising him alongside his brother, Egidio “E.G.” Carlos Moacir Garay, and sister, Kyrice Valivia Stanton in the Tujunga area of Los Angeles. He has openly admitted being a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers since childhood.

While studying at Verdugo Hills High School, and later at Notre Dame High School, Stanton was a distinguished three-sport athlete playing baseball, basketball, and football. Upon graduation, despite receiving football scholarship offers from numerous universities, Stanton decided to pursue a career in baseball.

Launching his professional career in the Marlins’ system, his performance in the Class A South Atlantic League, hitting 39 home runs with a .293 batting average and 97 RBIs, propelled his move to the major leagues. Over the next several years, Stanton established himself as an effective hitter in MLB, hitting his first career grand slam at just before turning 21.

Stanton made a notable impact on the game with his powerful hits. According to HitTrackerOnline, Stanton’s home runs averaged a tremendous 399.6 feet in distance with an average speed of 104.3 mph in his rookie season.

His consistent performance saw him smash several location records for the longest home runs, including at the Citi Field, Nationals Park, Coors Field, and Sun Life Stadium. His powerful hitting ability has made him one of the most-watched hitters in the MLB. When not dealing with injuries, Stanton has emerged as one of the most lethal hitters in baseball.

In 2014, a walk-off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners marked one of the many high points of his career. Despite experiencing a severe injury late in the season, Stanton finished second in the MVP voting to Clayton Kershaw. His accomplishments on the field culminated in securing a record-breaking 13-year, $325 million contract extension with the Marlins.

With a career marked by home runs and record-breaking hits, Giancarlo Stanton continues to dominate the field and enthrall baseball fans across the globe, making him one of the most pivotal players in the MLB today. Remarkably, with Miguel Cabrera’s retirement in 2023, Stanton remains the only active player who has also played for the Florida Marlins, before the change in the franchise’s name to the Miami Marlins in 2012.