Giancarlo Stanton is one of this generation’s best home run hitters.
He’s cooled down a bit since his Marlins days and early years with the Yankees, but even after injuries and other factors limiting his production, he still seems to put together some unbelievable dingers at age 35.
He’s was one of the biggest reasons why the Yankees made a run to the World Series in 2024, but he’s starting to heat up recently as well.
On Monday night, Stanton hit what felt like a virtually impossible home run.
Stanton defies physics with incredibly rare home run
The Yankees are in Arlington, Texas, taking on the Rangers on Monday.
They need every win they can get as the season is well past the halfway mark.
That requires players like Giancarlo Stanton to step up and do what they’re capable of doing.
For Stanton, that’s hitting home runs. He had one Monday that gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead, but it wasn’t your average home run.
Here are the stats on Stanton’s two-run homer:
- Distance: 427 ft
- Launch angle: 17 deg
- Exit velocity: 115 mph
The launch angle is the stat that sticks out here.
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It shows how much of a power hitter Stanton is, hitting a home run, nonetheless, one to center field, despite a launch angle of just 17 degrees.
This was the first home run of the 2025 MLB season to be at least 427 ft on a launch angle of 17 degrees or less.
Most players would hit doubles or line out on hits with a launch angle that low, but for Stanton to hit a home run shows just how special he is.
Since the 2008 MLB season, only 13 players have hit a home run of 427 ft and a launch angle of 17 degrees or less (Savant/Statcast database used):
*24 times total since 2008
- (7x) Giancarlo Stanton (2015, 2016, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2018, 2025)
- (3x) Pete Alonso (2019, 2019, 2023)
- (3x) Aaron Judge (2017, 2017, 2018)
- (2x) Nelson Cruz (2018, 2021)
- (1x) Manny Machado (2015)
- (1x) Daniel Vogelbach (2019)
- (1x) George Springer (2023)
- (1x) Mark Trumbo (2015)
- (1x) Yordan Alvarez (2023)
- (1x) Oneil Cruz (2022)
- (1x) Vladimir Guerrero (2024)
- (1x) Danny Valencia (2017)
- (1x) Mike Trout (2016)
Stanton has a sizeable lead with now seven career home runs meeting these two statistical categories. It’s his first in seven years.
Out of those 24 home runs, only 17 had an exit velocity of 115 mph or more, like Stanton had tonight.
At the end of the day, a home run counts as a home run no matter what, but it’s fascinating to see how some players can get it done in rare/non-traditional ways.
