Giancarlo Stanton, OF

[Mainge]

Here we go again.

[Benched]

On pace for almost 100 HRs over the course of a full season. Fun.

[Chewford]

It'd be cool if we wait until June to call him up, and he still ends up leading AA in homeruns at the end of the season.

[Swifty]

'Everybody is in scoring position when he comes up to the plate,' says one coach

By TOM D'ANGELO

JACKSONVILLE — As Marlins prospect Mike Stanton was spraying balls around the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville during batting practice, the Suns' Chris Hatcher turned to fellow catcher Vinny Rottino with a question.

"Where would that ball have gone if he hit it here?" Hatcher said. "In the lights?"

"That ball" is Stanton's now-legendary home run in Montgomery, Ala., last Thursday that not only cleared a 395-foot sign in left but also the 95-foot scoreboard behind the wall. The ball was never found; estimates were that it traveled more than 500 feet.

The epic blast now is the talk of the Class AA Southern League. Marlins organization hitting coordinator John Mallee has saved it on video. Suns hitting coach Corey Hart, who played with Prince Fielder, said the homer was the longest he has ever seen.

Suns manager Tim Leiper had another perspective.

"I looked at the crowd and saw an absolute look of bewilderment on the people's faces," he said. "People had their mouths open and a look like, 'God, we've never seen anything like that before.' "

It's been a while since Jacksonville has seen anything like Giancarlo Cruz Michael Stanton. The Marlins' second-round pick in 2007 is drawing comparisons to sluggers who have passed through Northeast Florida en route to stardom, like Larry Walker and Alex Rodriguez (although A-Rod spent all of 36 days on Seattle's Class AA team).

"Nobody hits them over the clock and off the scoreboard during batting practice like Michael," said Suns General Manager Peter Bragan Jr., who has been around the team since his father, Peter Sr., bought the Suns in 1984.

Stanton, a right fielder, had 15 home runs, more than anybody in professional baseball, and 34 RBI entering Tuesday's games.

He was slugging .854. By comparison, Babe Ruth's highest slugging percentage was .847 in 1920.

"Everybody is in scoring position when he comes up to the plate," Hart said.

Leiper and Hart might be watching Stanton on TV soon. Members of the Marlins organization have told people around the Suns that he could skip Class AAA New Orleans and go directly to the majors.

"I think he could go up there right now and hit 30 home runs just figuring it out," Hart said.

As the Marlins offense continues to struggle, more and more fans are rooting for Stanton to get promoted. Marlins President Larry Beinfest has said he wants to see Stanton continue doing what he's doing "and the rest will take care of itself."

The Marlins could benefit financially by waiting at least a month to promote him. If they wait until around mid-June to call up Stanton, he likely would not qualify for arbitration until after the 2013 season. If he were promoted sooner, he might reach arbitration a year earlier.

"I'd love to be there tomorrow, but if they keep me here they feel like I need stuff to work on," Stanton said Monday. "The season is not a month long, that's probably what they are tying to emphasize. Just keep on going."

Strong work ethic

Most of the Suns hung around the clubhouse watching the Yankees-Tigers and Marlins-Cubs games or playing pool Monday after the Suns' 7-3 victory over Birmingham.

Not Stanton. By the time he emerged from the weight room many of his teammates had departed.

Stanton is an imposing figure at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds. His face resembles that of actor and former football player and wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Stanton's body could become just as chiseled if he keeps working at it.

Stanton, 20, also has needed some work on his swing - not unusual for a young, tall power hitter.

"He would swing at everything as normal 18-year-olds would do," Mallee said.

Stanton, who hits right-handed, has made his swing much more compact. He has dropped his hands about a foot, which has shortened his stroke and let him spray the ball - his two-run homer Monday was deep into the right-field bleachers.

His new approach is reflected in his average. Stanton hit .231 in 79 games in Jacksonville last season. After 28 games this season he was hitting .340.

"His swing is so short and quick that he can wait longer to see the ball," Mallee said.

He and Hart have found Stanton to be an eager student. After the opener of a 10-game homestand last month, Stanton wasn't pleased with his approach. He and Hart looked at video and then worked in the cage.

In the next nine games, Stanton had nine home runs and 20 RBI.

"I watched him watch the video and he just picked himself apart," Hart said. "I've never seen someone adapt to something so fast. And for a guy that's 20 years old. ... I learn from that kid."

Stanton shies away from talking about statistics, but he is clear about his goals.

"I'm not here to be in the minors,"said Stanton, who was recruited by USC to play football but chose baseball. "I'm not here to be just an OK player. I'm not going to settle for OK."

Stanton sometimes will stand in a cage and watch as many as 100 pitches without swinging a bat. He is training his eyes to recognize pitches.

"Just playing at-bats in my head, playing approaches in my head," Stanton said. "The ball doesn't always come straight out of the machine. It's not always the same pitch, which is the same in a game."

He still is learning to handle off-speed pitches. He averages one strikeout per 3.2 plate appearances.

"He'll look real silly sometimes on a curveball," Bragan Jr. said. "But boy, when them guys think they can throw that No. 1 hard, he will give it ride."

His defense also is a work in progress, although he is considered an average right fielder with above-average potential.

After his group hit Monday, Stanton asked Leiper to hit him ground balls, to his right, to his left and in front of him so he could charge the ball.

"Every possible ball he can get in the game he's practicing before he gets out there," Leiper said. "What he needs to do to get better is do exactly what he's doing.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...inglePage=true

[Ramp]

He's got a good attitude. See ya in a few weeks, kid
--------------------
Also, what's up with his massive home/road splits?

.481/.622/1.269 at home (yes thats a 1.269 slugging) (52ab)
.196/.305/.431 on the road (51ab)

[MiamiHomer]

He is so awesome.

[Ramp]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWQdoao69ic[/ame]

[FishFanInPA]

Is there any video of this mammoth blast?

[Ramp]

yes, we're hiding it from you

[FishFanInPA]

That's what I was looking for. Thank you Ramp.

[Ramp]

3/4 tonight
----
and a walk... no K

[Swifty]

Dominguez homered.

[wanks1212]

Dominguez is picking up his hitting a bit. The power and patience are still very good for a guy his age - he's just got a really low BABIP (like .250ish), and, as a result, a low BA. But his ISO was at .173 heading into tonight (not Stanton, but not bad for a guy his age in AA) and he's got 16/22 K/BB in 104 ABs. He's never going to be a superstar and he may not be ready until 2012, but with his defense he's going to be a fine piece down the road.

Anyway, the vets are even super hella mega gaga excited about Stanton:

By BARRY JACKSON
bjackson@MiamiHerald.com

When St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Mark McGwire mentioned this spring how the Marlins ``have some really good young outfielders,'' he was one of many to express that. But Marlins fans' patience has been tested, with Chris Coghlan's early season slump and Cameron Maybin's struggles. And fans also must be patient as they await the arrival of Mike Stanton, whose promotion is being delayed largely so his arbitration clock doesn't start ticking.

With his remarkable minor-league numbers (83 home runs, 227 RBI in 300 games), Stanton has become a symbol of hope for Marlins fans. The 20-year-old from Panorama, Calif., has a good chance to be promoted in June -- a timetable ensuring he wouldn't be eligible for arbitration until after 2013.

``Rarely do you look to see what guys are doing in the minors, but it's hard not to with him,'' Cody Ross said. ``As players, you get excited. If you ask everyone here, they would say great if he came up.''

Double A pitchers got a break over the weekend when Stanton missed games to attend a wedding. He returned to Jacksonville on Monday and hit his minor-league-leading 15th home run in 29 games.

Catcher John Baker compares Stanton with ``Dave Winfield, who is one of the top 10 physical specimens in the history of sports.'' Andre Dawson said Stanton ``hits the ball the way Miguel Cabrera hits. Unbelievably strong. Works diligently. He will be something special.''

Phillip Wellman, manager of the Double A team in Mississippi, told The Florida Times Union, ``He looks like a 15-year-old playing on an 8-year-old's Little League team.'' Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Stanton, a second-round pick in 2007, hit the two longest home runs he ever saw at the Jupiter complex.

Third baseman Wes Helms said ``you put him on the field now with any right-hander hitter in baseball, and he will stay with him as far as power. From all the guys I've played with, the only one at that age I'd compare him to is Chipper Jones.''

Several Marlins rave about his humility and work ethic. ``It's not tough to be humble,'' Stanton said. ``One of my pet peeves is cocky people. I'm still basically a nobody in my eyes.''

Stanton, who turned down a baseball scholarship to Southern California and a football offer at UCLA, is batting .355 at Jacksonville -- well above his .231 in 79 games there in 2009. After going 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI Tuesday, Stanton now has 35 RBI, nine doubles, 29 walks and a .493 on-base percentage. He has played right field flawlessly (no errors).

He still strikes out a good bit (32 in 107 at-bats), but ``that's part of who he is'' and typical for many power hitters, Marlins assistant general manager Jim Fleming said.

``The biggest difference from last year is his pitch identification -- better at-bats, not expanding the zone,'' Fleming said. ``He's not susceptible to breaking balls. With Mike, nothing surprises you. He's close'' to the majors.

When Stanton arrives, it likely would mean a demotion for Bryan Peterson or Maybin (.236 entering Tuesday). The Marlins badly want Maybin to succeed -- owner Jeffrey Loria once told him he would love to have another son like him -- but the organization is concerned. ``He swings at too many bad pitches,'' special assistant Tony Perez said. ``We're trying to help him, but he will have to adjust.''

One veteran scout said: ``The raw ability is still there, and you can't give up on him yet. You've got to ride it out, maybe send him down again.''

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/1...#ixzz0ngeIdplk

[Swifty]

Can they at least give him a major league number so I can order his jersey (the two numbers I know he's worn - 44 and 41 - are in use at the big league level).

I <3 him.

[wanks1212]

He should wear 4. He's cool enough to pull off a single digit number, and 1 is better for the little speedster types than the big power types.