Gary Sanchez must know he’s running out of chances to prove himself.
This spring, Sanchez must be right with the bat and the glove. He must convince the fans and his team, the Yankees, he’s worth the investment. Above all else, Sanchez must prove it to himself.
Because nothing works if you don’t first believe in yourself.
This is a make or break season for Sanchez.
He knows it, the Yankees know it, and the person writing this column knows it.
His first at-bat, this spring, wasn’t the opening to a fresh start anyone would want.
Sanchez stepped up to the plate against the Toronto Blue Jays’ Anthony Kay and was blown away with a nasty high fastball. It was the same pitch Sanchez struggled throughout the 2020 season.
Fast forward to the next day, this time Sanchez steps up to the plate against the Detroit Tigers in his second at-bat of the game. I’m watching on the YES Network but, I admit, my attention was in my phone while Sanchez was digging in for the pitch from left-hander Gregory Soto.
And then I heard that familiar sound on my television.
The Kraken was released and for those few moments, as Sanchez circled the bases with a familiar home run trot, all felt right.
It was the high fastball that he blasted over the batter’s eye in center field.
David Cone said it best on the YES telecast about why Sanchez is worth it.
“Not too many human beings can hit a baseball like that,” said Cone. “That’s why you don’t give up on talent like that.”
Makes sense? If you’ve watched Gary Sanchez since his rookie season in 2016, it should.
When Sanchez connects on a home run, they’re mostly no-doubters which leave mouths open with awe.
But he’s coming off a disastrous 2020 season, offensively and defensively. He posted an embarrassing .147 batting average in the regular season. He couldn’t catch up to the fastballs he used to regularly crush.
His defensive struggles behind the plate led to his demotion from catching the best pitcher on the staff, Gerrit Cole. The Yankees would eventually hand over his full-time duties to backup catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone demoted Sanchez to the bench in September — his playing time diminished to only eight at-bats. While his teammates fought for survival in the playoffs, he mostly sat and watched.
The Yankees passed on pursuing the top catching free agent on the market, J.T. Realmuto. They decided not to pursue Yadier Molina. They’re placing their bet on Sanchez returning to form as an All-Star caliber player.
Is he a part-time player and liability? There’s too much power in his bat to reach a verdict yet.
Everyone faces difficult times. It’s how we respond which counts, right?
And if that’s the case, then it’s no surprise Sanchez spent the offseason putting in the work which hopefully will fix what went wrong.
He worked on his flexibility, mobility, and injury prevention with a specialist. Will the special attention to detail help him hit the high fastball again? We’ll have to wait and see.
Again, it starts with putting in the work.
In their exhibition win over Detroit, Sanchez caught Cole and Jameson Taillon. Both pitchers approved of what they saw from him.
“I thought we worked well,” Cole said. “I was confident throwing anything we needed to. … I just think we had a good time out there. We kept the ball in front of us. He liked how some pitches were breaking and gave me good feedback.”
The heat is on. Sanchez needs this spring training schedule not just to tune up, he needs to prove he’s ready. He needs to show it to his teammates. He needs to show it to Manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman. Sanchez needs to show the team’s Chairman and Managing General Partner, Hal Steinbrenner, he’s ready.
“He made a really good impression,” Taillon said. “My first few bullpens, he wasn’t scheduled to catch me, but he was sitting right behind the catcher, locked in, and made some comments.”
The Yankees still believe Sanchez can do it. They had every chance over the winter to part ways with him, now it’s up to him to prove he’s still part of their future. One swing against Toronto showed this is a storyline worth watching.
“I know he’s looking forward to proving last year was a fluke and we look forward to him justifying our continued commitment to him and his talent level,” Cashman said earlier this winter. “Because, obviously, we’ve invested our time, effort and money into him for good reason. We do believe in him.”
Let’s sit back and watch how his comeback tour plays out.
