The next Yankees superstar? Gary Sanchez aims for dominance over 162 games
TAMPA – CC Sabathia pondered the list of young catchers in recent years who arrived in the majors with the all-around game of New York Yankees teammate Gary Sanchez and promptly stopped at one.
“There’s Buster Posey and who else?’’ said Sabathia, a veteran of 16 seasons. “That’s it.’’
If it seems far-fetched to lump a player who has appeared in 55 big league games with a former MVP and three-time World Series winner, consider:
-- Sanchez blasted 20 homers in his first 51 games, tying an 86-year-old record for the fastest player to get to that figure.
-- The rocket-armed receiver threw out 41.6% of would-be base stealers, which would have tied for the third-best mark in the majors if he had enough chances to qualify.
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-- Sanchez did not get called up for good until Aug. 2, yet he made a push for AL rookie of the year honors with a .299 batting average, 1.032 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, the 20 homers and 42 RBI in 53 games. He finished second in the voting to the Detroit Tigers’ Michael Fulmer.
-- The Yankees, a .500 team left for dead in the playoff race after they traded Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Carlos Beltran and Ivan Nova at or close to the deadline, went 31-25 after Sanchez joined the lineup, leading a youth movement that kept the club relevant.
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The influx of fresh blood into what had been a stodgy, aging club has generated renewed excitement in the Bronx, raising hopes that the current wave of youngsters – headed by Sanchez and also including Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Tyler Austin and eventually highly touted shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres – will form the nucleus of a perennial championship contender in the years to come.
Sanchez, 24, said the presence of young players he knew from the minors combined with the tutelage of veterans like Brian McCann eased his transition to the majors.
McCann, a seven-time All-Star known for his old-school mentality, gracefully handled his demotion to a backup role, calling Sanchez a “stud’’ and a “future All-Star, year in and year out.’’ The Yankees traded him to the Houston Astros in November.
“He never stopped giving me advice when we were in New York,’’ Sanchez said of McCann. “When I arrived, my teammates made me feel confident, they treated me well, they would encourage me to keep working hard.’’
Long regarded as a premium prospect – he signed for a $3 million bonus out of the Dominican Republic at age 16 in 2009 – Sanchez didn’t always work hard at learning the catching craft. His bat was projected to make an impact, but scouts questioned whether he would stay behind the plate, conjuring memories of Jesus Montero, a former Yankees catching prospect who flamed out.
Sanchez, typically among the youngest players in his league, also had behavioral issues that drew disciplinary action in the minors, such as clashes with managers and the one time he refused to catch a bullpen session.
Those appear to have been cleaned up as Sanchez has learned how to be a pro. This year he turned down an invitation to play for the Dominican team in the World Baseball Classic – “It was a very tough decision. I hope to play in another Classic in the future,’’ he said – opting to stay in camp so he could learn the pitchers better.
“He has matured a lot over the last couple of years,’’ outfielder Brett Gardner said. “I know I haven’t played with him much, but I’ve known him for several years and over the last couple of years he’s really (grown) in his work ethic and the way he carries himself on and off the field, his approach offensively, his commitment to trying to be the best he can be defensively.’’
Indeed, while Sanchez’s offensive exploits drew the most attention last season, it’s his development as a receiver that makes him truly special.
He started to show a commitment to polishing his defensive skills during the 2015 season, split between Class AA and AAA, implementing lessons he picked up from catching coordinator Josh Paul, instructor Julio Mosquera and coach Tony Pena.
The improvement was in full display in the last two months of last season, when the Yankees switched from the highly respected McCann to Sanchez without a hitch. Sabathia said the young backstop has made great strides in his game-calling, understanding what pitchers want to do and what hitters are looking for.
“The receiving and throwing behind the plate was probably greater than any of our reports had indicated,’’ Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “I don’t know that you can have any better entrance into the major leagues than he had last year. Good hitter, big power, complete package from what we saw last year.’’
Now the question is whether the 6-2, 230-pound Sanchez will be able to sustain that performance, not necessarily the absurd offensive numbers – nobody expects him to post a .657 slugging percentage over a whole season – but the high all-around level of play, especially as the league adjusts to him.
New York presents a unique set of challenges for any player, let alone one who has raised the bar so high and has become such a central figure for the Yankees that he was featured in a staged January visit to a Bronx deli, where he made sandwiches in front of the cameras and stunned customers.
General manager Brian Cashman said the veterans on the club will help Sanchez negotiate any difficulties he encounters, but so far he has shown a knack for handling everything thrown at him.
“He’s been tremendous,’’ Cashman said. “He’s hatched out of the egg perfect. As a person, as a defensive player, as an offensive player, everything’s been great.’’
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