This New York Yankees star remains underrated, but he doesn't seem bothered.

Remember when the New York Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton in a trade with the Miami Marlins back in November 2017? Stanton was just coming off of an inhuman season in which he smashed 59 home runs, 38 of which came after July 1. The Yankees? They had just lost to the Houston Astros in seven games in the ALCS.

Stanton seemed like the missing piece for New York, and in his debut campaign in the Bronx, he hit 38 homers. But thanks to the fact that he finished one shy of 60 the year prior and didn't exactly have his shining moment in the Yanks' ALDS loss to the Boston Red Sox, it wasn't nearly enough.

Stanton frequently found himself getting booed by Yankees fans in the early stages of his New York tenure, and the fact that he missed most of 2019 due to injuries didn't help his case. Especially not with that fat contract.

Fast forward to 2025, and my goodness; how things have changed.

The former NL MVP is now a fan favorite in the Big Apple thanks to his uncanny ability to deliver in the clutch. Stanton has slugged 18 playoff homers since arriving in New York. He smashed seven last fall to lead the Yankees to a World Series appearance. And in spite of bad elbows and missing the first few months of 2025 because of it, Stanton just clobbered his 450th career long ball.

"Dangerous," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said when describing Stanton, via Randy Miller of NJ.com. "Dangerous, man. Dangerous."

That's one way to put it, and yet, Stanton still seems to be underrated in the pantheon of all-time greats, so much so that there are legitimately people who question if the 35-year-old is Hall of Fame worthy, even if he reaches 500 home runs.

“It’s a lot of swings away from 500,” Stanton said. “Of course, you think about it. You understand, if you bear down I’m capable of doing it. So it’s just one at a time. That’s all I can do.”

So long as he stays relatively healthy, he should get there. Stanton has hit 21 dingers in 70 games this season. Translate over the course of a full season, and that's closing in on 50. Will Stanton ever come close to playing a full campaign again? Probably not, but with the way Stanton slugs, he probably doesn't need it to eventually get to 500.

Stanton's postseason acumen alone should quiet any of his critics. His lifetime playoff OPS of .994 is truly remarkable. So is his ability to come through in the clutch time and time again.

Make no mistake: if the Yankees are going to make a World Series run next month, they will absolutely need some more playoff heroics from Stanton. That's especially if Aaron Judge continues to labor in October, and it's also important to remember that Juan Soto is no longer in New York's lineup.

There should not be a single Yankees fan who ever utters a bad word about Stanton ever again, but this is New York where Derek Jeter was booed. By now, we should be used to it. Stanton certainly is, and you would be hard pressed to find someone who handles the pressure better than him.