MIAMI, FL – AUGUST 25: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the Miami Marlins hits a two run home run in the first inning during a game against the San Diego Padres at Marlins Park on August 25, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MLBBy Matt Clapp on

Giancarlo Stanton crushed two more home runs on Friday night in Miami to lead to the Marlins to an 8-6 victory over the Padres.

That’s now 49 homers on the season for Stanton, and he’s on pace for 63 (which would break the *real* MLB home run record, in his opinion).

The Marlins’ right fielder has 15 more dingers than anybody else in the National League. He also leads the NL in OPS (1.044) and slugging percentage (.661), and his 5.3 WAR (per FanGraphs) is third in the NL.

Stanton’s numbers over the last couple of months are especially ridiculous:

https://twitter.com/michaelsclair/status/901277519504003072

And the biggest thing Stanton has accomplished during his crazy stretch? He’s — incredibly — led the Marlins back into the playoff race. The Marlins are over .500 (64-63) for the first time since April 26, and they have gone 47-33 since May 28.

Only the Dodgers (currently an absurd 91-36) have a better record since May 28.

The stunning run has the Marlins 4.5 games behind the Rockies in the NL Wild Card race, and just four games back in the loss column (screencap via MLB.Com):

Five Thirty Eight now gives the Marlins a 24% shot to make the playoffs, while FanGraphs isn’t quite as optimistic at 13.5%. Keep in mind that the computers are looking at overall numbers and projections, and aren’t factoring in how insanely hot Stanton is right now.

Additionally, the Marlins’ remaining schedule features seven games against the MLB-worst Phillies (47-80), eight games against the Braves  (57-69), two games against the Padres (57-71), and three games against the Mets (56-71 and practicially all of their good players are injured, or were recently traded). The Marlins also get the opportunity to — potentially — put Wild Card matters into their own hands with three-game sets against the Rockies and Diamondbacks.

So, if Stanton can keep up this power surge for another month, the Marlins may really have a shot at one of the two NL Wild Card slots. And if that happens, Stanton has to be the NL MVP. You could make a great argument he deserves to win the award even if they don’t make the playoffs, given his incredible numbers and the impact he’s had on an otherwise below-average roster.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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