Giancarlo Stanton Joins Joe DiMaggio as Only Players Since 1920 to Complete Feat

Giancarlo "Mike" Stanton had the second-best month ever in MLB history in terms of average, home runs and RBI for a player who had yet to turn 23 years old.

Stanton joined elite company in May after he hit .343 with a .432 OBP, .769 slugging percentage and 1.201 OPS.

Along with the fantastic averages, Stanton smashed 12 home runs and 30 RBI, tying Dan Uggla for most home runs in a month in team history.

Not too shabby for any player, yet alone one under 23 years old, but how does it compare to the best performance in a calendar month for a player under 23 since 1920? 

The best statistical performance in terms of production goes to Joe DiMaggio, when he tore the league apart at a .430 clip and hit 15 home runs and drove in 43 RBI.

DiMaggio compiled the numbers in July of 1937 in a season in which he hit a career-high 46 home runs and set a career high with a .673 slugging percentage. 

When asked about being in the same category as the Yankees legend, Stanton told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, “To be mentioned in the same category, or the same sentence as him, is eye-opening." He went on to explain how he had the success he did in May, “I didn’t give away too many at-bats that month, and when I did, it was, ‘Boom, forget about it'. So I thought I was very disciplined and smarter in key situations.”  

Stanton, who hit 34 home runs last season, only had one home run going into May. His offensive explosion might give him a shot to get to 40 long balls for the 2012 season.

Stanton's month might not have been as good as DiMaggio's, and his career numbers probably won't be either, but he can now say that he is in the same class as DiMaggio—at least for one month of his career.

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