Gary Sánchez

Gary Sánchez
Sánchez with the New York Yankees in 2016
New York Yankees – No. 24
Catcher
Born: (1992-12-02) December 2, 1992
Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
October 3, 2015, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
(through 2018 season)
Batting average .252
Home runs 71
Runs batted in 185
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Gary Sánchez (born December 2, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball catcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 2015. He was named the American League's Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month Awards for August 2016 and an All-Star in 2017. Sánchez burst onto the scene with a record-breaking rookie debut in 2016, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting despite playing in only 53 games.

Early life and family

Sánchez grew up in La Victoria, Dominican Republic. His parents separated when he was young and he, his three brothers, and one sister were raised by their mother, Orquidia Herrera, and her mother, Agustina Pena, although they saw their father frequently. One of his brothers, Miguel Sánchez, played in the Seattle Mariners organization.[1]

He and his wife, Sahaira, have one daughter. Sánchez credits his daughter's birth for his transformation from a player "going through the motions" early in his professional career, to a player lauded for his work ethic.[1]

Professional career

Minor leagues

Sánchez signed with the New York Yankees as an international free agent in July 2009, receiving a $3 million signing bonus.[2] Before the 2010 season, Baseball America ranked him as the Yankees' seventh-best prospect.[3] He began his professional career playing for the Gulf Coast Yankees. On August 18, 2010, he was promoted to the Staten Island Yankees of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League.[4] He finished the season hitting .329/.393/.543 with eight home runs and 43 runs batted in (RBIs) in 47 games.

Sánchez with the Tampa Yankees in 2012

Before the 2011 season, Sánchez was ranked among the top prospects in baseball.[5][6][7] He was rated as the second best prospect in the Yankees organization and 30th best prospect overall by Baseball America.[7][8] He spent the season playing for the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League. He played in 82 games before suffering a season ending finger injury.[9] He finished the season hitting .256/.335/.485 with 17 home runs and 52 RBIs.

Before the 2012 season, Sánchez was ranked as the Yankees fourth best prospect by Baseball America.[10] He began the 2012 season with Charleston and received a midseason promotion to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.

Sánchez with the Trenton Thunder in 2014

Sánchez began the 2013 season with Tampa. After batting .254 with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs, the Yankees promoted him to the Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League on August 3.[11] He was added to the Yankees' 40-man roster after the 2013 season.[12] Sánchez began the 2015 season with Trenton and was chosen to represent the Yankees at the 2015 All-Star Futures Game.[13] After the Futures Game, the Yankees promoted Sánchez to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League, where he hit a home run in his first at-bat.[14]

New York Yankees

2015

After the conclusion of the RailRiders' 2015 season, the Yankees promoted Sánchez to the major leagues.[15] He made his major league debut as a pinch hitter on October 3.[16] He went hitless in two at bats during the regular season.[17] The Yankees included him on their 25-man roster for the 2015 American League (AL) Wild Card Game.[18] The Yankees then assigned Sánchez to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) after the season.[19] He led the AFL in home runs,[17] and was named the Fall Stars Game Most Valuable Player, and the second-best prospect in the AFL by Baseball America.[20] As a result of his strong season, the Yankees felt comfortable trading fellow catcher John Ryan Murphy during the offseason.[21]

2016

Sánchez competed with Austin Romine to serve as the backup catcher to Brian McCann on the Yankees' Opening Day roster in 2016, but he began the season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was called up to the majors for one game in May, where he went 0-for-4.[17] The Yankees again promoted Sánchez to the major leagues on August 3,[22] and he recorded his first major league hit, a single off Hansel Robles, that same day.[23] On August 10, Sánchez went 4-for-5, with his first major league home run and 3 singles. On August 16, Sánchez had his first two home run game against the Toronto Blue Jays. On August 22, Sánchez was named AL Player of the Week, after hitting four home runs with a .523 average.[24] Sánchez became the first player in MLB history with at least 11 home runs and 31 hits in his first 23 career games. On August 29, Sánchez was named AL Player of the Week for the second straight week, and on September 3 MLB named him AL Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month.[25] On September 21, 2016, Sánchez hit his 18th and 19th home runs in his 45th game, making him the fastest player to reach 19 home runs in the modern era. For the 2016 season, Sánchez played in 53 games for the Yankees with a .299 batting average, 20 home runs, and 42 RBIs. He finished second in the voting for AL Rookie of the Year, behind Michael Fulmer.[26]

2017

On April 8, 2017, Sánchez left the game after straining his right brachialis muscle in the bicep and was placed on the 10-day disabled list.[27][28] He returned to the Yankees on May 5 after missing 21 games.[29] On June 10, Sánchez hit the hardest home run of his career, a 115.1-mph laser to left-center field against Mike Wright of the Baltimore Orioles. The following day, Sánchez hit the farthest home run of his career, a 450-foot shot off Kevin Gausman of the Orioles.[30] On July 2, Sánchez was named to the 2017 American League All-Star team, his first, as a reserve.[31] He participated in the 2017 MLB Home Run Derby, upsetting Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton 17–16 in the first round before losing to Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sanó 11–10 in the second round.[32] Prior to the competition, Sánchez engaged in a feud with Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Logan Morrison, who stated that Sánchez did not deserve an invitation to the Derby, having hit only 13 home runs so far compared to Morrison's 24.[33] Sánchez responded by saying "It's not my fault he didn't get selected."[34]

Sánchez played a key role in the Yankees' four-game sweep of the New York Mets by hitting three home runs and throwing out multiple runners trying to steal. On August 23, Sánchez hit two home runs against the Detroit Tigers; the first measured at 493 feet, the second-longest in the majors behind teammate Aaron Judge's 495-foot home run.[35] On August 24, Sánchez hit a home run off of Tigers starter Michael Fulmer in the second inning; it was the fourth home run he had hit in the series and his 27th of the season. In his next at-bat, he was hit by a pitch from Fulmer, presumably in retribution for the home run. This served as a catalyst for a large brawl in which Sánchez threw punches at Tigers players.[36][37] He was suspended for four games, which was later reduced to three games upon appeal.[38]

On September 14, Sánchez hit his 31st home run of the season, breaking the record for most homers in a single season by a Yankees catcher, previously held by Yogi Berra (1952, 1956) and Jorge Posada (2003).[39] He finished the season batting .278/.345/.531 with 33 home runs, 90 RBIs, 20 doubles, 131 hits, 40 walks and 79 runs scored. In the postseason, he batted .208/.218/.415 with three home runs and eight RBIs as the Yankees lost in Game 7 of the ALCS to the Astros. At season's end, Sánchez received his first Silver Slugger Award after the season as the best hitting catcher in the American League.[40]

2018

Gary Sanchez Catching For the New York Yankees

On April 26, Sánchez hit his first career walk-off, a three run home run off of Fernando Rodney as the Yankees won 4-3.[41] On June 25, 2018, he injured his groin following an awkward landing at first base. He was placed on the disabled list, allowing backup catcher Austin Romine to fill his place and become the primary catcher. On July 23, after a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Sanchez was criticized for lack of effort twice during the game. In the bottom of the first inning, a low pitch from Luis Severino bounced off Sanchez’s foot and rolled up the third base line. Sanchez jogged to the ball, not as fast as possible. and Rays baserunner Jake Bauers took advantage of the lack of effort and scored after an errant throw from Sanchez. In the ninth inning, the Yankees were one run down with a chance to tie the game. Aaron Judge was at third, with Giancarlo Stanton at second, Aaron Hicks at first, and Sanchez up at bat. Sanchez hit a sharp ground ball to Daniel Robertson, who flipped it to Willy Adames, but Hicks hustled enough to be safe at second. Sanchez jogged slowly all the way to first, and Adames noticed, throwing to Bauers to get Sanchez out and end the game. Judge would have scored and tied the game but instead of tying the game, the Yankees lost to the Rays 6-7, due to Sanchez’s lack of hustle. On July 24, Sanchez went on the disabled list again due to re-aggravating the same groin.[42]

Personal life

Sánchez and his wife, Sahaira had their first child, a daughter, in August 2014.[43]

References

  1. 1 2 Marchand, Andrew (September 6, 2016). "Oh, baby! Gary Sanchez owes August for the ages to hard work, maturity — and his daughter Sarah". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. ↑ Flood, Kevin (August 25, 2010). "Staten Island Yankees' Sanchez already thinking big". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  3. ↑ Manuel, John (December 16, 2009). "Baseball America New York Yankees top 2010 prospects". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Warren steals the show in action-packed night". Riveraveblues.com. August 19, 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  5. ↑ MLB.com. "MLB.com's 2011 Top 50 Prospects list". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  6. ↑ "News & latest headlines from AOL". AOL.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "2011 Top 100 Prospects: 21-40". Baseballamerica.com. February 23, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  8. ↑ Manuel, John (November 10, 2010). "Baseball America New York Yankees top 2011 prospects". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  9. ↑ Craig Williams (August 15, 2011). "New York Yankees' Gary Sanchez Out for Season with Broken Finger". Rantsports.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  10. ↑ Manuel, John (January 4, 2012). "Baseball America New York Yankees top 2012 prospects". Baseballamerica.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  11. ↑ Marchand, Andrew. "Top prospect promoted to Double-A - Yankees Blog - ESPN New York". Espn.go.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  12. ↑ "New York Yankees add top prospect Gary Sanchez to 40-man roster". New York Yankees. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Prospects Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez to represent Yankees in Futures Game". NJ.com. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  14. ↑ Heneghan, Kelsie (July 18, 2015). "Sanchez homers in first Triple-A at-bat: Yankees No. 7 prospect drives in three runs in RailRiders debut". MiLB.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Yankees call up hyped Gary Sanchez: What you need to know". NJ.com. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Yankees stomped, 9-2, by Baltimore Orioles - Rapid reaction". NJ.com. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 https://nypost.com/2016/05/13/gary-sanchezs-first-start-no-results-but-girardi-approval/
  18. ↑ "Yankees, Astros set 2015 AL wild-card game rosters". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Yankees' Gary Sanchez heating up in AFL". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Where Yankees' Gary Sanchez ranked among Arizona Fall League prospects". NJ.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  21. ↑ Harper, John (February 10, 2016). "GM Brian Cashman takes the Daily News inside the Yankees' offseason trades". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  22. ↑ http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2016/08/gary_sanchez_gets_call_to_yankees_and_hes_ready_tr.html
  23. ↑ "New York Mets vs. New York Yankees - Play-by-Play - August 03, 2016". ESPN. August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  24. ↑ Feinsand, Mark (August 22, 2016). "Yankees' Gary Sánchez named AL Player of the Week". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  25. ↑ Miller, Randy (September 3, 2016). "Yankees rookie Gary Sanchez gets 2 more awards for sensational start". NJ.com. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Michael Fulmer wins AL Rookie of Year Award". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  27. ↑ Hoch, Bryan. "Gary Sanchez strains biceps, headed to DL". MLB. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  28. ↑ Hoch, Bryan. "Gary Sanchez out 4 weeks". MLB. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  29. ↑ http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19316229/gary-sanchez-activated-new-york-yankees-missing-21-games-biceps-injury
  30. ↑ "Yankees Gary Sanchez Hits 450-Foot Home Run Sunday". www.fanragsports.com. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  31. ↑ "Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez among five Yankees in All-Star Game". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  32. ↑ "Home Run Derby 2017: Recap of the round-by-round winners, plus photos and more". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  33. ↑ Tayler, Jon. "Morrison rips MLB for putting Sanchez in HR Derby". SI.com. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  34. ↑ Tayler, Jon. "Gary Sanchez fires back at Logan Morrison over HR Derby diss". SI.com. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  35. ↑ "Gary Sanchez hits 493-foot homer". MLB. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  36. ↑ Sanchez cheap shots in brawl
  37. ↑ Beck, Jason (August 24, 2017). "Yanks-Tigers dustup a prelude to punishment". MLB.com. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  38. ↑ Adler, David. "Gary Sanchez's suspension reduced to 3 games". MLB. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Judge, Sanchez hit consecutive milestone HR in Yankees' win". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  40. ↑ "Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez win Silver Sluggers". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  41. ↑ "Gary Sanchez hits walk-off HR as Yankees complete 4-game sweep against Twins". MLB. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Gary Sanchez reaggravates groin, placed on DL". MLB. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Oh, baby! Gary Sanchez owes August for the ages to hard work, maturity -- and his daughter, Sarah". ESPN. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
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