SANCHEZ LOOKING GOOD 2 GO
Gary could bat second for Yanks
LAKELAND — Could No. 24 be in the No. 2 hole for the Yankees in 2017?
Joe Girardi did not dismiss the possibility that Gary Sanchez could hit second for the Bombers next season.
Sanchez hit there on Saturday against the Tigers with Greg Bird protecting him as the No. 3 hitter, a combination that sounds intriguing if Bird can continue to swing a hot bat.
Bird, who missed all of last season due to shoulder surgery, has already blasted three towering homers this spring.
Sanchez, the 24-year-old phenom catcher, launched a two-run bomb of his own to left in the third inning of the Yankees’ 11-1 exhibition win. He now has two homers in Grapefruit League play.
“I’m going to look at it,” Girardi said of the potential batting order. “In the first inning, I think I’d prefer to have two guys in front of my best hitter. But then you start going through the other three times through the lineup and you get a few more at-bats over the course of the season, so I can see it both ways.”
Said Sanchez, who mostly hit third in 2016: “Wherever the manager wants to have me in the lineup, I’m fine with that. I’m just glad to be in the lineup. My approach is the same wherever I’m hitting. I just want to make good contact.”
Sabermetricians have used analytics to suggest that optimal lineups have a team’s best hitter batting second. Sanchez hit .296/.372/.650 last season with 20 homers during his remarkable 53game rookie campaign.
The Yankees have been open about the possibility of separating Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the order, so as not to stack lefties. Ellsbury failing to live up to his $153 million contract certainly figures into that concept.
Other No. 2 options could potentially include Didi Gregorius (.312 career OBP), Chase Headley (.327 OBP since 2014) and Starlin Castro (.318 career OBP), none of whom get on base at a high rate.
Last season, the Yankees’ No. 2 batting position (726) got 23 more plate appearances than their No. 3 spot (703).
Derek Jeter was a career .308/.376/.439 hitter in the No. 2 hole in 6,753 plate appearances. In 2004, Joe Torre moved a slumping Alex Rodriguez into the second spot for 24 games, and A-Rod hit .301/.398/.495.
Sanchez could fit nicely there as well. Girardi has shown an inclination to be forward-thinking as far as defensive shifts and pitching changes during his managerial career.
“A lot of my lineups have to do with getting guys the most at-bats they can now (in spring training),” Girardi said. “But I told you I’m going to look at the lineup. When it gets closer I’m going to look at doing a lot of different things and come up with what we think is the best lineup.”