Sanchez high on his ceiling
DUNEDIN, FLA.—“Touchy-feely.” That’s the inside baseball analytics from Aaron Sanchez on the quality of his stuff as his pitch count rose to 64 in Tuesday’s start against the Atlanta Braves.
Mostly, everything is dandy for the 25-year-old once and future co-ace. Crucially, that finger blister that cost him nearly all of last season is well in harness. Enough so that he hardly ever thinks about it anymore.
“I can’t let the nail get too long,” he said after 4 1⁄3 innings in Orlando, during which he gave up two runs on six hits, including an eye-popping homer by 20-year-old Ronald Acuna Jr., the top prospect in baseball. Sanchez has been working quickly and comfortably, and setting himself right when, like yesterday, he appeared a tad wild and up in the zone to start, albeit hurling hard at 96 m.p.h.
“I thought today was great,” Sanchez said afterwards. “Being able to go up and sit down five times, that’s huge with the season being just around the corner.” Sanchez said his command was good, his off-speed pitches fine. “Didn’t throw many curveballs but I threw quite a few changeups. I threw some for strikes, I threw some where I wanted to in the dirt, get them to chase pitches. By the third inning I was settling nice.”
This is a thoroughly confident young man, itching to get at it for real.
“With where my stuff ’s at right now, it’s a good indication that the future’s bright for me. And I’ve known that for a long time,” he said. “I’m excited, man. I know the ceiling’s pretty high for me. I want to reach the ceiling as fast as I can. It’s a work in progress. But I’m here for the long haul and I’m ready to work.” Sanchez cast him mind back to the start of 2016, when the possibility of being returned to the bullpen still hung over his head like the sword of Damocles.
“I had to get outs quick. I didn’t really get a chance to throw off-speed stuff. I knew if I had an OK start or a subpar start, my chances of going to the bullpen might have been quicker.”
Now he feels “solidified”, a vital component in the starting rotation. “He’s a key part if we’re going to do anything this year,” says manager John Gibbons. And, with Marcus Stroman being kept on a cautious throwing leash as he recovers from shoulder inflammation and definitively out of contention for the opening-day start, those laurels might fall to Sanchez. He’s never got the gig before.
“If it’s me, I’ll take the honour. If it’s not me, I’ll cheer them on.” GRAND CENTRAL: Curtis Granderson, the most smiley face in the clubhouse, continues to sizzle under a notvery-hot Florida sun. A ringing double off the wall in Tuesday’s 13-6 demolishing of t he Braves raised his Grapefruit League stats to 10 hits in 11 game: two doubles, two triples, four home runs and a .400 average. The long balls on this afternoon came from Teoscar Hernandez, a two-run shot just inside the pole, his third jack of the spring, and catcher Luke Maile, an opposite- fi eld three-run homer. ETCETERAS: Anthony Alford is day-to-day with a tweaked right hamstring. “Hopefully it’s no big deal since he’s l ooked r e a l l y g ood t hi s spring,” said Gibbons …
Josh Donaldson was initially pencilled in for the Orlando lineup but was left behind, still feeling a bit sickly from his weekend dehydration episode.
He’s also dealing with a calf issue, as per Gibbons, who was vague about it. The return date?
“Not sure,” said Gibbons. “Next few days, I would think. We’ll see.” …
Outfielders Randal Grichuk (rib cage) and Steve Pearce (calf ) are both expected to travel to Fort Myers for an encounter with the Red Sox on Thursday, following a team off-day Wednesday … Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos picked up outfielder Ezequiel Carrera after he was recently released by the Jays.