It was a rough 2020 season for slumping Gary Sanchez who ended up benched consistently throughout the ALDS.
Gary, who had proven he could be a monster at the plate, struggled with both offense and defense to the point that he became more a hinderance than a help. After his time on the bench, Gary spent the offseason working on his technique, confident he could come back better. In March Sanchez, once again in the best shape of his life, showed up ready to prove that he could be the guy everyone was hoping for, and for a brief moment he did.
He came out hot — hot enough to get everyone talking about what Gary Sanchez could be. Confidence started to grow as Sanchez hit spring training home runs and consistently caught good games. The organization even backed up their star catcher, announcing after much questioning that he would be behind the plate opening day. Things seemed to really be looking up for Sanchez, until they weren’t.
Will the real Gary Sanchez please stand up?
Spring training quickly took a turn for the worst with Gary once again struggling at the plate. Sanchez is now 6 for 34 in spring training. He has only one hit in his last 21 at bats with 10 strike outs. He’s averaging .176 and has seven strike outs in his last five games. Sanchez is doing a lot of swinging and missing at the plate. He’s missing quality opportunities and fouling balls straight back instead of sending them to the seats. Right now, even after a solid start, Gary’s strikeout percentage is coming in slightly worse than last season. Yes, these are small sample sizes but because of his shaky past it’s hard not to wonder if this is the real Gary Sanchez.
I’m still rooting for Gary Sanchez
I desperately want to give up on Sanchez but just like the Yankees, I can’t. Even though it might be hard to remember, there is a good reason why the team is so committed to him. In just 421 major league games, Sanchez managed to make not one, but two all-star teams, hit 115 home runs and win a silver slugger award.
When Sanchez first came up people couldn’t take their eyes off him. He was truly something special with the potential to become the best catcher in the league. Sanchez, at his finest, has the capability to be one of the game’s best power hitters and help bring the Yankees to a 28th World Series, but will he ever be at his finest again? As each year passes, it harder and harder to maintain confidence in Sanchez, but here I am hoping that 2017 Gary Sanchez will show up to play.
