Sanchez makes a statement start
Right-hander might be forcing way into rotation with four shutout innings
DUNEDIN, FLA.—“Absolutely, I think I’m a starter, they (Blue Jays) know I wanna be a starter, everyone in baseball knows I wanna be a starter.”
That was a pumped-up Aaron Sanchez after his first spring start Sunday, a mostly dominating four-inning outing that should have sent a message to the other candidates for the last rotation spot.
“I threw well, Gavin (Floyd) has been throwing well … but I’m not worried about what the thinking is or what they’re thinking,” Sanchez said after allowing just one hit and one walk. “I’m worried about making my pitches and helping this team win.”
There is a debate over whether the 23-year-old Sanchez, who has arguably the best raw stuff on the team, should continue as a late-inning reliever. But he has his mind set on becoming a starter, something that was apparent in his tone after a four-strikeout performance.
Sanchez believes he is stronger after dealing with a back injury last June — a muscle strain that sidelined him for more than a month. He rehabbed with the same doctors at Duke University who helped Marcus Stroman get back into the Jays’ rotation last season after what should have been a season-ending knee injury in spring training.
“Getting hurt allowed me to put on 25 pounds for this season,” Sanchez said, a reference to his exposure to the new wave sciences of sports strength and performance professionals.
“I feel really strong out there, it’s not a matter of trying to pitch, it’s just putting myself in a position to make pitches. I could have gone three more innings today if they wanted. I came here prepared.”
His friendship with Stroman also figures in his hopes to be a starter. The two are as close as brothers, and part of Sanchez’s dream is to join Stroman in the rotation and help lead the team to a championship.
But the Jays have to decide where Sanchez will be most valuable to the team this year, and what health risks, if any, there might be for him as a starter, given the explosive arm speed and nature of his mechanics, and the jump in innings he would see this year. Sanchez threw just over100 innings last year between the rotation, the bullpen and five minorleague appearances.
The competition for the fifth starter’s spot still includes Floyd, Jesse Chavez and Drew Hutchison. Floyd followed Sanchez in Sunday’s win over Tampa with three solid innings, allowing one run and two hits while striking out five.
“They’re all doing a good job,” Jays manager John Gibbons said.
“No one’s separating themselves yet. But we know it’s a tough decision . . . we have options, we have to get it right.”
“I know what (Sanchez) can do. From the time he got injured last year, he got better and better. We brought him into the pen out of necessity. He did a good job there for us but it’s still a big debate now — what’s he better at (starting or relieving), what’s his future. It’s not easy, we have to get it right.
“I know he wants to start, they all do. He’s so young and talented, it’s his dream. Even if he starts in the pen, he can still start down the line for us. A kid like him, the more he pitches, the better he’ll be.”
“It was a lat injury (last year), so it had nothing to do with (mechanics). With young guys, it’s about repeating the delivery, and once they do that, they can take off. (Sanchez has) a violent arm, he’s a strong kid and he has great arm speed. The pitch he’s trying to master is the curve, but it’s tough, the way he throws the ball. But when it’s all over, when he gets it together, he should be one of the best.”