Getting out of the Bronx seemed like a necessary change of scenery for the best version of Gary Sáncheza catcher with few defensive lights -not so young anymore at 29-, but who in the history of the MLB only Ryan Howard (122) and Pete Alonso (113) hit more home runs than their 111 through their first 400 games.
Sánchez arrived in chilly Minnesota in March to split time between catching with Ryan Jeffers (a 2018 second rounder with occasional power) and designated hitter. However, after playing the first 29 games the Kraken does not start, neither with the bat nor behind the plate.
Sánchez has only appeared in 19 games, of which he has started 11 at catcher (the only ones he has finished) and eight as a DH, a position in which manager Rocco Baldelli has already used 11 players. An abdominal injury sidelined him for four games in late April.
The native of La Victoria has an offensive line of .211/.273/.352 with a home run, seven doubles, nine RBI and a .625 OPS. His adjusted OPS is 90, meaning his offensive contribution is ten points below the league average. MLB and Baseball-Reference lists him as a player with -0.1 wins above replacement player (WAR).
The one who was the leader in passed ball three times (2017, 2018 and 2020) does not show numbers with the mask that earn him the confidence of the team that leads the American League Central Division (18-11). He has -2 runs saved with above average defense (Rdrs) and the percentage of players he catches on steal attempts is the second lowest level of his career (20%), less than half the ceiling he achieved in 2016 (41%).
All this comes while Sánchez is the only player who has not defined his salary for 2022, his last in arbitration. The Creole asks for US$9.5 million as salary, but the Twins offer US$8.5 million for whoever was second in the voting for Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Signed in 2009 for a US$3 million bonus, Sánchez’s development was slow in the minor leagues and it was at the end of 2015 when he finally made his debut with the Mulos, although he got the starting job in August of the following year and since then he has accumulated two visits to the All-Star Game and a Silver Slugger. he
