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Stanton has mixed up his field experience, and it’s working for him.

Last season, Giancarlo Stanton, designated hitter of the New York Yankees, didn’t play the outfield at all. While he is an excellent hitter, for the latter part of this season, Stanton decided it was time to mix things up a bit, and started playing left outfield at the end of July. As it turns out, this shift has been beneficial to him.

“I think [playing defense] has helped kind of just not focusing on hitting,” Stanton said after Monday night’s game in Atlanta. “You always want to be your best in the box, and feel like you’re in the best mind frame. But that also means turning it off for a second and using that focus somewhere else. … So yeah, it helps in some way.”

“I think if anything, physically it’s helped him, moving around and keeping his body going,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “It’s been a seamless transition right back out there. Looks like he’s been playing regularly all year, the last couple of years.

“As soon as we started doing it, you always know there’s gonna be a conclusion drawn. It’s because he’s in the outfield, he’s doing this or isn’t doing that. Sometimes it’s just baseball, and the ebb and flow of the season. … That said, it’s very possible that being out there has helped him a little bit.”

Giancarlo Stanton talks about the mood in the Yankees' clubhouse during this 10-game winning streak

"When we're feeding off each other like that, we just gotta keep pushing and keep this going" pic.twitter.com/nhKPZswbB8

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 24, 2021

Despite the division of focus, Stanton hasn’t lost his touch in the batter’s box, and if anything, it’s only gotten better. During the sixth inning of Monday night’s game, Stanton slammed a mighty two-run double to left field, breaking a frustrating 1-1 tie.

“He’s a unicorn, he does things every night that are a little bit different than anyone else,” Boone said. “Every time he hits one, I think everyone gets a kick out of going to the [score] board [to see] how hard he hits it.”