Giancarlo Stanton hit a baseball onto another field on Monday to help the Miami Marlins beat the New York Mets 11-1 in Port St. Lucie.
The blast landed on a back field in the Mets' complex and came a couple swings after Stanton had hit a long foul ball.
It was the second consecutive game that Stanton hit a home run after connecting with a ball on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. Stanton is off to a torrid start this spring with a .364/.391/.727 slash line according to his official game log. Playing in what is his first year of arbitration eligibility and earning a modest $6.5 million for 2014, Stanton could be in line for another significant raise after the season.
The home run from Stanton was only one of the two hit by the Marlins in this Monday's game per the box score. Derek Dietrich, who is trying to land a utility role with the team, hit his first blast of the spring. Dietrich also walked twice and has looked impressive in the Grapefruit League but he could find himself starting the year in the minor leagues anyway. The Marlins could prefer that the young infielder sees daily at-bats for now which would be tough to come by at the big league level.
Also of note was Reed Johnson, who is making the most of his opportunity to win a roster spot as a non-roster invitee. The veteran outfielder went 5 for 5 in this game and is now hitting over .500 for the spring.
Pitching for the Marlins was also effective in this one with Brad Hand making the start. The lefty hurled three shutout innings and struck out five while walking none. Hand is in a fierce battle with Tom Koehler for the fifth slot in the rotation and it remains possible that both make the team. Koehler pitched in relief for parts of 2013 and could possibly do so again in 2014 if the team opts to go with Hand in the rotation.
The Marlins will travel to Fort Myers on Tuesday to take on the Boston Red Sox with Brian Flynn slated to make the start.
