Catch of the day
This is getting to be a tradition in The Bronx — the hyped prospect getting rewarded for his accomplishments in the minor leagues with a call up to the majors.
First came Luis Severino. Next was Greg Bird. And now here is Gary Sanchez, promoted by the Yankees before Saturday’s doubleheader against the Blue Jays. They were all wanted by other teams around this year’s trade deadline, but the Yankees envision them as part of their future.
“I have no words,” the highly rated catching prospect, known for his big bat and powerful arm, said through a translator. “I’m very emotional. This is every baseball player’s dream.”
Sanchez, the Yankees’ third catcher behind Brian McCann and John Ryan Murphy, is unlikely to get the same opportunity for playing time as Severino and Bird, but manager Joe Girardi does plan to use him.
Sanchez, 22, enjoyed a stellar season between DoubleA Trenton and TripleA Scranton/WilkesBarre, batting .274 with a .330 onbase percentage, .815 OPS, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in just 374 atbats.
The Yankees’ No. 7 prospect according to MLB.com, Sanchez had seemed to stall at DoubleA, needing parts of three seasons to reach TripleA, after rising quickly through the team’s system. But he rebounded this season, and got his call, more than six years after he signed with the Yankees as a 16yearold catching prospect out of the Dominican Republic.
“Our guys feel that he has matured a lot from a physical and mental standpoint. His work ethic has been tremendous,” Girardi said. “He throws as well as anyone. He has continued to improve on his receiving, his gamecalling, has swung the bat pretty well.
“You look at his numbers in [374] atbats that he had, you start talking about 18 home runs. That’s pretty significant. They feel that he made some great strides this year and we’d like to see it.”
Girardi said Sanchez most likely will be used as a righthanded pinchhitter off the bench since he doesn’t have much, if any, experience, catching any of the Yankees pitchers. But he wouldn’t rule out getting Sanchez behind the plate.
“I’m going to try to get him in,” Girardi said. “I can’t promise what’s going to happen because the games don’t always present themselves, but I’d like to see him.”
Sanchez said he never lost confidence while he languished in the minor leagues. He spent extra time working on his defensive abilities — calling a game and handling pitchers were the knocks on Sanchez — to the point the Yankees felt he progressed enough to warrant a promotion.
“I never doubted myself,” Sanchez said. “I was focused working hard, and waiting for this moment. ... I really worked on my focus. That was the biggest improvement.
“I really wanted to make it up here. Only way to stay up here is to stay focused.”