For the New York Yankees, the future is undoubtedly bright. This weekend, the sun rays will start to crack through the clouds.
After the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders beat the Pawtucket Red Sox on Thursday night, word came out that catcher Gary Sanchez – the third overall prospect in the Yankees organization, according to MLB.com – will be promoted to the big leagues in time for their weekend series against the NL Central leading Chicago White Sox
Big news for #Yankees fans: Gary Sanchez is getting promoted to the big league club, per @RailRidersTT
— Dan Federico (@DanFederico_) May 13, 2016
While the subsequent move hasn’t been revealed, one would think that lefty Phil Coke will receive the demotion.
It has been a long time coming for Sanchez, as he went from teenage phenom, to bust, to one of the best players within the farm system.
After an up and down career in the minors, Sanchez had his official breakout campaign in 2015. Splitting time between the Double-A Trenton Thunder and the RailRiders, he slashed a strong .274/.330/.485 with 18 home runs, 62 runs batted in and an even 100 hits. In addition to his known power, Sanchez improved in the weakest part of his game, as he had career high defensive numbers behind the plate.
However, Sanchez’s regular season wasn’t enough. Suiting up for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, the backstop was one of the best players of the season. An All-Star, Sanchez hit .295 with an OPS of .982, seven home runs, 21 RBI and a slugging percentage of .625.
Due to his performances, General Manager Brian Cashman was comfortable shipping away standout backstop John Ryan Murphy in an offseason trade. It was then when many believed that Sanchez was the odds on favorite to win the backup catcher’s job behind Brian McCann.
He definitely had the chance. But he didn’t earn the job.
Over 17 games, Sanchez hit a woeful .059 with an on-base percentage of just .238. That, combined with Austin Romine hitting .263, had the youngster find his way back to Scranton.
Sanchez brought Spring Training into the regular season, as he hit .225 with two home runs and 11 RBI over 19 games in April. However, he has turned over a new leaf in May; in nine games this month, the catcher is batting an even .400 with an OBP of .415, a SLG of .700 and more home runs, (three) and one less RBI (10) in half of the games.
With the one-two punch of Chris Sale (7-0, 1.79 earned run average) and Jose Quintana (5-1, 1.38 ERA) in the Bronx this weekend, manager Joe Girardi may want to tinker with the lineup. With Sanchez possessing a right-handed power bat, both Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann could sit against the tough southpaws.
Don’t expect this to be a long term move, as Alex Rodriguez is expected to be back when his DL stint is up. However, the audition will bode well for Sanchez – and the fans can get an early glimpse of that bright future.
Dan Federico is the Managing Editor and Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow and interact with him on Twitter or contact him via email here
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