In meat of the order, Sanchez serves hope to Yank fans
ON Monday afternoon, the new face of the Yankees just so happened to also be the new face behind the counter at Bullpen Deli.
Yes, Gary Sanchez, small sample-size superstar, decked out in his pinstriped jersey, made a few sandwiches for hungry customers and then signed some autographs as the team kicked off its “Winter Warm-Up” across the street from Yankee Stadium. Year 2 of “The Kraken” awaits. The main question going in: following a remarkable 53-game rookie season, what can the 24-year-old catcher do for an encore?
“I don’t feel any pressure being the guy on the field or off the field,” Sanchez said through a translator. “(Last season) was a good season for me, but that’s in the past now. We have to focus on the upcoming season all together as one. And hopefully we can make the playoffs.”
Sanchez, who figures to hit third once again as the centerpiece of the team’s youth movement, took the baseball world by storm in 2016, belting 20 home runs in just 201 at-bats while posting an OPS of 1.032 and throwing out 41% of potential base-stealers.
Now, it will be about making adjustments as he becomes the main focus of opposing scouting reports. Pitchers certainly won’t want to make any mistakes against Sanchez, who saw fastballs just 46.8% of the time — the second-lowest percentage among any player with at least 220 plate appearances, according to FanGraphs.
“During a baseball season, there’s highs and lows, and you have to go through all that,” said Sanchez, who added that he hasn’t worked yet with soon-to-be spring training instructor Alex Rodriguez. “As a baseball player, that’s something you understand, you have to keep your head held high. And hopefully, you can keep being consistent.”
GM Brian Cashman has been one of many to temper expectations for Sanchez, saying he hopes the second-year pro can be a top5 hitting catcher in the American League in 2017. Asked about his own expectations for himself, Sanchez responded, “To stay healthy, help the team win and keep doing my job.
“This offseason I’ve been trying to do the same thing I did last year, which is work hard and arrive at spring training ready to play. What type of results I’m going to have this season, I don’t know. We have to wait and see.”