Former Yankee outfielder Cameron Maybin joined Keith on his Tuesday night show to talk Yankees, and to dive deeper into his social media interaction with Keith in which he wondered if Giancarlo Stanton would be best served playing elsewhere, and out of the New York spotlight.
“I’ve known G since he was 17 years old,” Maybin said. “He used to be my roommate when we played for the then Florida Marlins…but at no point did I talk to G and he told me ‘Hey Cam, I don’t want to finish my career in New York.’ I was talking more as a fan and an ex player.
“I’ve watched this guy year after year. He never jabs back at the fans or the criticism. He just keeps his head down and continues to try to work. I know he’s had some unfortunate injury seasons, but I feel like if you’re a New York fan, we’ve seen people who haven’t been able to handle the pressure and have folded. I think we have such a short memory. We don’t take time to appreciate greatness. I just think the guy is a physical specimen…nobody wants to be hurt. I know he’s hurt, but damn, can we appreciate what he has done? He’s been one of the better playoff Yankees during the playoff struggles that they’ve had.”
Maybin clearly believes Stanton has been underappreciated, and heavily criticized due to his lack of availability, and he believes a change of scenery to a less demanding market could help him thrive again, and maybe even provide more incentive to stay on the field.
“I’d love to see him play in a place like Cincinnati…I want to see him play in the NL Central, a division that’s a bandbox, somewhere where he might have a breath of fresh air,” Maybin said. “He’s been under scrutiny for years now. As a friend, I’d love to see him finish his career in a place where he’s not getting bashed.”