BUILDING BLOCK
TAMPA — Perception wins with Gary Sanchez and that perception is of indifference, which is part of the explanation of why he is so poor at blocking balls and the belief that as a catcher, he is a pretty good DH.
But for the defense — literally — is Larry Rothschild. The Yankees pitching coach would win the title of Curmudgeon-in-Chief if voted by the team. Which is to say he does not spin with positives just to avoid the uncomfortable.
And when it comes to perceptions of Sanchez, Rothschild offers a disdain usually saved for hanging breaking balls. Because, he says, his reality comes from working with the primary receiver of his pitchers, and what he sees “is a guy who wants to be a great catcher. Because he wants to win. Winning is his priority. He loves what he does, and it shows up in how he pays attention in meetings, his willingness to take charge of pitchers and a litany of other things that he shows daily that he wants to get better.”
The perception of indifference formed early in the minors and was probably well-earned. And in baseball — especially among scouts — when a label is affixed, it is hard to pull off.
But Brian Cashman, among others within the Yankees hierarchy, described “a light bulb going off in Double-A, and the light bulb was he wanted to be a great player.” Theories abound. Sanchez matured with marriage and a baby. Gary Denbo took over the minors and had zero tolerance for poor work habits. Josh Paul (like Denbo, gone from the system now) installed a series of drills that helped elevate Sanchez.
When Sanchez arrived as the regular catcher for the final two months of 2016, he wowed with re- lentless power. But Rothschild was stunned at how good Sanchez was at calling a game with such inexperience.
So what happened last year? Again, pick your theory or combination offered from within the organization.
Sanchez muscled up and lost flexibility. He injured his biceps, missed the first month of the season and “was behind the eight ball playing catch-up the rest of the year,” Aaron Boone said. He hurt his thumb, never good for a catcher and worse when coping with Masahiro Tanaka’s split, Aroldis Chapman’s fastball and Dellin Betances’ everything.
“We are not an easy staff to catch,” Rothschild said.
And in his first full year in the majors — at age 24, remember — he no longer was following Paul’s protocols for the first half, going back to them under bullpen catcher Jason Brown in the second half. Interestingly, Brown was elevated to catching coach this season and the two first-half instructors, Joe Girardi and first-base coach Tony Pena, are gone. It was clear Girardi was expressing his frustration and not issuing a decree from his bosses.
Cashman would not expound on this, but he did say, “I have no questions about Gary’s commitment. I know he cares. ... He is much better than most people believe.”
Letting a ball get by you as a catcher is overt. Everyone sees it, and it was a problem. But again, there is a reality, and that is it does not lead to a heck of a lot of runs. Certainly not as much as, say, framing pitches, a skill Sanchez is good at. Rothschild and CC Sabathia both insist Sanchez also is excellent at absorbing a game plan, communicating with pitchers and calling a game. As for the overt, he might just be the sport’s best throwing catcher. And, yes, he did put in work on better blocking balls.
Moving even one veteran scout who follows the Yankees to say, “I used to yell at him because I found him lazy, but it has been better this spring and, look, he just has to be good there because throwing the ball and at the plate he is just a beast.”
Sanchez said through a translator about balls getting past him: “Whenever that happened, the perception grew that I wasn’t able to block balls, and the perception grew that I was not a good defensive catcher. But at the same time, that is why I worked really hard in the offseason to improve that area.”
Sanchez already believes “I am a good defensive catcher,” and maybe in 2018 he can change perceptions about being a DH in waiting. For his body language might say one thing, but his teammates and manager say a completely other.
“I feel like I am being overly hyperbolic,” Boone said. “But his commitment, his buy-in, the work he has put in behind the scenes. We have asked a lot of him. We have been demanding of him. I think we have set a high bar for him — on both sides of the ball. And I feel like behind the scenes he has committed himself to live up to all of that. I think we are going to see a great allaround player.”