Fansided

MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players in the game today

By Joshua Sadlock

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 02: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels reacts to his solo homerun for a 1-1 tie with the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Angel Stadium on May 2, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 26: Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees connects on a walk-off three run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on April 26, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-3. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 26: Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees connects on a walk-off three run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on April 26, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-3. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

19. Gary Sanchez

The start to this season has been ugly, but Gary Sanchez remains the best offensive threat at catcher in the league. Since taking over behind the plate for the New York Yankees, Sanchez has homered every 13 at-bats. That type of power has scarcely been seen from the catcher position in MLB history.

Hitting 40 home runs while catching is one of the rarest feats in baseball. Only four catchers have ever done it, with Hall of Famer Mike Piazza hitting 40 twice. In his first full season in the big leagues, Sanchez hit 33 home runs in only 122 games. In his two 40-homer seasons, Piazza caught 152 and 141 games, respectively. Last year, J.T. Realmuto was the only catcher in the league to get in more than 140 games behind the plate. Sanchez certainly has the power to approach 40 homers once he figures out his swing, but the Yankees don’t necessarily need to push him to start more than 130 games.

Defense is the issue with Sanchez, but his bat more than makes up for the shoddy blocking receiving. He does have a rifle for an arm, but his positioning and footwork continue to hold him back. Eventually, a move to DH makes sense, but the Yankees can work around a few extra passed balls and wild pitches for now.

Although Sanchez might not be long for catcher, he has the offensive chops to get in the conversation with the best hitters at the position in baseball’s long history.

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