Stanton, a 6-foot-5 monster with a mammoth bat, says he's a fan of all of his nicknames but that his first name is actually Giancarlo.
"I respond to many names," he said in an Associate Press report. "It's all good."
Stanton is, for the first time this season, listed as "Giancarlo Stanton" on the Marlins' roster. The name began when he was still in elementary school and kids in his class found it difficult to pronounce "Giancarlo." So he switched to "Mike" instead.
"No one could pronounce it right," Stanton said of his middle school friends in Panorama, California. "Everyone thought it was two words. Gene-carlo, Juan-carlo, Gionne-carlo. You have seven periods in school, so seven times a day: 'No, that's not the name.'
The 22-year-old said that his dad still calls him "Mike" and that the name was just engrained by the time he got to the big leagues.
"It was just easier," Stanton said of the nickname. "If you can't pronounce that, then there's something wrong with you."
Stanton, who is expected to be among the league-leaders in home runs this season, has already established himself as an exceptional talent in the MLB. In 2011, still at just age 21, Stanton hit .262 with 34 home runs and 87 RBIs.
The kid is a premiere talent with unbelievable strength and became just the third player in the past 40 years to hit at least 56 home runs before he turned 22, sharing company with only Ken Griffey Jr. (60) and Alex Rodriguez (56). That's not bad company to be apart of and Stanton will likely only continue to improve as he matures in the league.
