Perhaps emboldened by his own team's offseason name change, Mike Stanton told reporters on Wednesday that he'd like to be known by the first name on his birth certificate — Giancarlo — from now on.
If you've ever ogled the stats on Stanton's Baseball-Reference page, you may have noticed he has a few different names to choose from. His full name is listed as "Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton" and he says he opted for "Mike" during his school years because he tired of correcting a different teacher each class period.
But with the Marlins asking to be identified as "Miami" in preparation for their move into the city proper, the 22-year-old slugger wants to revert to his original name. The team has obliged him and plans to go with Giancarlo on things like his locker name plate and scoreboard listings.
Not that Stanton will refuse to look if you call him by any of his other names. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reports that Stanton will still acknowledge a list of names and nicknames that may be longer than Babe Ruth's.
"Everything,'' he said with a smile. "Cruz. Giancarlo, Mike, Mikey, Big Mike, Big Foot, Bam-bam. Man-Child. I respond to 25 different names.''
Stanton will be the first "Giancarlo" in big league history and I'm personally glad we might have to opportunity to crown a "Giancarlo" as a home run king. The correct pronunciation of the name — Jiaahnkahrloh — lends an increased regal air to the position, especially if he insists on pronouncing his last name as "Stan-tone."
It'd make for an entertaining 40 or 50 home run calls per year, if nothing else.
Big BLS H/N: Getting Blanked
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