Yankees vs. Red Sox: Who has the edge at each position?
Gary Sanchez vs. Sandy Leon
Let’s establish something right off the bat. Leon isn’t a lock to start every game for Boston behind the plate in this serious. Alex Cora could easily try to ride the hot player in the series. No matter who the Red Sox start at catcher, they aren’t going to compare very favorably to Gary Sanchez.
The Yankees backstop isn’t perfect, but there are zero questions about his talent. With the bat in the hand, he’s a very dangerous hitter. He really struggled to hit for average this year, but he still managed to 18 home runs in just under 90 games. The Red Sox pitching staff will certainly to be careful with him when he steps into the box.
Like Andujar, Sanchez’s deficiencies come when he’s asked to defend. Specifically, he really struggles to block pitches at anything approaching a mediocre level. His strong throwing arm does serve to make up for some of those issues, but he’s still a minus defender.
The Yankees get the nod here despite Sanchez’s imperfections. Catcher is arguably the weakest position on Boston’s roster. The Red Sox should get better defense behind the plate, but there’s no one available to Cora who should profile as a positive offensive influence. This is a solid win for the Yankees.