GARY SANCHEZ - A FRESH START

Matteo Ruiz

Nicknamed “the Kraken” by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, Gary Sánchez was at one time the league’s most enticing catching prospect. According to Cashman, he believed that Sánchez, like the Kraken, is a “mythical sea beast that is capable of unleashing a whole lot of hell and misery on its victims.” Though he had the “hell and misery” part right, he never predicted that it would be directed at his own team. After some embarrassing defensive struggles and an utter lack of significant offensive production to compensate, he’s now suiting up for the Minnesota Twins as he looks for a fresh start.

Once the #2 Catching prospect in all of baseball, Sánchez’s tantalising power bat was the source of his speedy ascent through the minor leagues. Though there was never much concern for his offensive production amongst the Yankees organization, his awful defensive performances could not be ignored. Despite his strong arm, Sánchez possessed almost no ability to block, frame, or call games. His pitchers felt abandoned on the mound as they received no help at all from their backstop. Sánchez broke the mould at a historically defensive position, convincing many Yankees higher-ups that his offensive production could offset the negative defensive value he provides. They were dead wrong.

Some managers attributed his struggles to immaturity and a lack of experience. Others, like Tony Franklin refused to play Sánchez until he worked on his defensive game. At the beginning of Spring Training in 2016, an anonymous scout even stated, “I think that his skills have gotten to the point where you can live with them in order to get that power into the lineup”. Though the thought that a catcher’s offensive production could outweigh their defensive value seems like an outlandish idea in today’s game, not so long ago Yankees fans sure believed it.

Sánchez was a very productive player in his rookie season, finishing second in rookie of the year voting despite only totalling 201 at-bats. Sánchez’s 20 home runs and 168 OPS+ were enough to put him near the top of a rather weak 2016 AL rookie class featuring the likes of RoY winner Michael Fulmer and Tyler Naquin as other serious candidates. Sánchez followed up his impressive rookie performance with a stellar 2017 season that earned him All-Star honours, a feat he’d accomplish once again in 2019. A rough season in 2018 interrupted the two performances as Yankee fans began to question whether the Kraken was the real deal, or just a myth. Only playing in 89 games due to injury gave Sánchez an excuse for his lacklustre offensive performance. However, providing little to no value defensively made Sánchez an easy target for the often-relentless criticism of Yankee fans. Sánchez saw no success in the shortened season, finishing with an OPS+ of 70, 30% worse than league average hitters. The 2021 season saw him experience a league average offensive season, but his defensive miscues were so unforgivable that it didn’t matter.

Sánchez was holding the Yankees back. His lack of defensive ability put unnecessary pressure on his pitching staff to execute perfectly. His inability to block passed balls and hold runners turned singles into triples. The ace of his club, Gerrit Cole, even refused to pitch to Sánchez outright, requesting backup catcher Kyle Higashioka as his full-time battery-mate.

While it’s unclear whether Sánchez will have a long-term future in Minnesota, it’s the perfect place for him to rebuild his career. On a Twins team that few expect to compete this season, Sánchez will escape the high-pressure environment of Yankee Stadium and should have the freedom to make mistakes as he relearns the fundamentals of the catcher position. If catching doesn’t click for him, don’t rule out the possibility of Sánchez exploring a transition to first base or potentially rebuilding his value as a designated hitter with the universal DH coming into effect this season. Either way, there looks to be rough seas ahead for Sánchez. But if anyone can conquer them, it’s the Kraken.