Yankees: Gary Sanchez Already Ranks High Among Elite Catchers
By Ryan Cook
The New York Yankees are hanging tough in the AL Wildcard race, in large part thanks to young studs like Gary Sanchez. After a strong rookie season, where does he rank among the league’s best?
You’ve probably seen it all before. A big time Yankees prospect making a name for himself, only to turn into a flop a few months later.
Not Gary Sanchez though, this guy is for real. After a massive opening month and a half into his official rookie career, Sanchez has set the fantasy world abuzz with historical achievements, home runs and a sense of excitement that hasn’t existed at the Yankees’ catcher position in years.
Just briefly, Sanchez has done just about everything already. He’s hit 14 HR since his call up on August 3, smacked 27 RBI and sits with a .320 average. For the month of August, he mashed 11 HR in first 20 games (the first rookie to do so), and he currently holds the record for the most HR’s in a calendar month for any Yankee, EVER.
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If you were lucky enough to stash him early on, good for you, because you now have a guy with enormous upside. For those of us who missed out however, now is the time to consider how you could land Sanchez going into 2017.
Just so you’re sure, Sanchez will be the starting catcher for the Yankees next season. His tremendous year so far has successfully sent 32-year old catcher Brian McCann to the DH spot, as the Yankees continue to commit to their youth movement.
No, Sanchez will not be going anywhere. The one place he may be going though, is quite high in people’s catcher rankings, which is something you as an owner need to be aware of this year and the next.
Right now, ranking the top catchers in baseball should look something like this:
It’s not a reach to place Sanchez so high, if you consider how thin the position is in regards to player production and reliability. Offensively only a handful of starters have been good this year, and following Ramos there is a significant talent gap between the league’s best players, and the rest.
There are of course guys like Willson Contreras and Yasmani Grandal, who show brief snippets of potential every so often. If you are in a position to draft Sanchez early on next season though, go ahead and pull the trigger.
In case you’re already wondering, the reason you should place so much faith in Sanchez continuing this trend from season to season is simple. He has cooled down a smidgen since a smoking hot August, but it’s not unreasonable to assume Sanchez could finish with 18 HR by October. He’s already showed why he hit 99 HR in seven seasons in the minors, and if you’ve somehow missed his intentional walk/almost unintentional home run, it should convince you of his power.
Against righties, Sanchez is deadly. Unlike a lot of rookies, he makes adjustments at the plate, and pays attention to the pitches he’s striking out on. The biggest pro of Sanchez’s hitting is he’s willing to spit on a ball low and away, but can also take the very same pitch and turn it into a base hit to right field.
It looks like Sanchez will hit for average consistently, and at the very least, he could be a 30 HR guy. But do you know the best part? He’s managed 19 of his 27 RBI against the other four AL East division teams, meaning he looks good for consistent numbers against familiar pitchers next year.
Defensively, Sanchez shapes up well too. Any great catcher needs to have a laser for an arm, and Sanchez does. He’s allowed only 16 SB in 28 games started, and caught nine runners stealing, and his pick-off attempts haven’t been too shabby either. If Sanchez can become elite at framing pitches, he’ll join the conversation of possibly being the best catcher in the game.
The Yankees aren’t giving up on that Wildcard spot, and it’s due to guys like Sanchez coming through when needed. Never has a player been thrown into the Rookie of the Year conversation so quickly with only a quarter-season under his belt, but Sanchez has.
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Beating out guys like Michael Fulmer will be tough, but this is no fluke season for Sanchez. Fantasy owners best pay attention to the rankings, and believe what they see.