While it’s still very early in his career, it appears Gary Sanchez has “future star” written all over him. The Yankees have groomed him since the age of 16, and we’re now finally seeing what we’ve been hearing about for years.
It’s not hyperbole to say that we’ve never seen a Yankees career begin like this. Sanchez is the only Yankee in history to hit 8 home runs in his first 19 games. He joined Joe DiMaggio as the only Yankees to amass 50 total bases within those first 19 games as well (via Katie Sharp). He became the first Yankee catcher to win AL Player of the Week since Thurman Munson.
Sanchez has easy power. It’s clear to see why GM Brian Cashman nicknamed him “The Kraken.” The ball sounds different off his bat – it jumps and carries with relative ease. On the defensive side, the Yankees haven’t had a catcher with his skill-set in a long time. He’s got a howitzer for an arm, can block almost any ball in the dirt, and from what I’ve seen, can work well with every pitcher.
This is where the Yankees are extremely lucky to have Sanchez. The other day, he tweeted:
“Experts” say we @Yankees have no chance to make the playoffs…well we may just be young and naive enough to disagree. #NotGivingUp
— Gary Sanchez (@ElGarySanchez) August 20, 2016
Keep in mind this kid is just 23-years-old. This is the kind of attitude you want in a young player – in a catcher. There were reports of problems with Sanchez’s attitude a few years ago in the minors, but he’s done some maturing since. This is a prime example of that.
Although the Yankees are technically in the race, this is the time to find out what they have with these young players. It’s time to see who can be a player next year. With Sanchez, it looks like he can be a player for years to come.
The last position player the Yankees developed with this much potential was Robinson Cano – the time is long overdue for the next homegrown star. The Yankees have a gem in Gary Sanchez.
