Stanton donates 15K face shields to NY, CA

April 30th, 2020

TAMPA, Fla. -- As Giancarlo Stanton waits for baseball to resume, the Yankees slugger is offering his assistance in the battle against the coronavirus, donating 15,000 reusable face shields to medical professionals in New York City and Southern California.

Each area will receive 6,000 face shields, to be divided among numerous facilities, with another 3,000 promised in the near future. The 30-year-old Stanton, who is continuing to train at the George M. Steinbrenner Field facility in Tampa, Fla., grew up in the Los Angeles area and is in his third season with the Yankees.

“I’ve seen the growing needs of the healthcare workers,” Stanton told the New York Post. “I’ve kind of been doing research and seeing what they need the most, what can benefit them through the long haul of this. I know they’ve had to exchange masks throughout the day, and with the limitation on masks in general, I thought it would be a smart idea to get those face shields to cut that number down.”

Stanton told the newspaper that his agents, Joel Wolfe and Brittany Peiffer at Wasserman, helped find a partner in Voodoo Manufacturing. The Brooklyn-based company operates approximately 200 3D printers and has transformed its 5,000-square-foot facility to mass produce emergency personal protective equipment.

He also plans to direct face shields to hospitals in the Miami area, where Stanton played the first eight years of his career with the Marlins.

“It’s wild, man,” Stanton said. “Obviously, we’ve never seen anything like this. It just seems like every new notification on our phones, or however we get our information, isn’t positive. You’ve got to keep moving forward, see what you can do while staying at home.

“When there isn’t any positive news out there, for me it’s just trying to keep ready to go, keep a positive mindset, try to improve things, learn new things, better myself. Always. That’s really all you can do.”

Stanton is one of the few Yankees remaining at the Steinbrenner Field facility, as he was rehabbing a right calf strain when baseball paused on March 12. Outfielder Aaron Judge (stress fracture of right rib) and right-hander Luis Severino (recovering from Tommy John surgery) are also continuing to work out there.

Manager Aaron Boone has said that had the season gone according to schedule, Stanton would have been ready to play in games by now. Instead, he -- and the rest of us -- must wait.

“I’ve just been getting ready to go and having good half-days at the field, trying to see what’s the best option for us to safely get back out there,” Stanton said. “It’s cool to see, for the moment, guys trying to stay ready with limited resources. That’s another interesting obstacle, something you have to stay positive for as well. Stuff like guys playing catch on the street.”