New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez Picked As Player Worth The Price Of Admission

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez landed on ESPN’s list of players worth the price of admission to watch play.

The New York Yankees are in the process of the type of rebuild they haven’t had in decades. It has resulted in some highly touted prospects joining the organization as the Yankees have as deep a farm system as any team in the major leagues.

The Yankees are budding with potential all over the field and on the mound. It brings excitement for the future, but we have seen some of that potential on display already.

New York has plenty of talent they will begin seeing in 2017 for the first time. Some of that young talent got their first real chance in 2016, including Gary Sanchez.

The highly touted catching prospect took the MLB by storm. Sanchez, in his first extended look at the major league level, absolutely crushed the ball. He smashed 20 home runs in only 201 at-bats, showcasing the power that made him a can’t miss prospect.

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Sanchez did not rely solely on his power at the plate. He slashed an impressive .299/.376/.657, hitting 12 doubles and knocking in 42 runs. His performance led to a second-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting, finishing behind Michael Fullmer of the Detroit Tigers.

While Sanchez’s hitting performance received a lot of the attention, that is arguably not his strongest asset. An argument can be made that Sanchez’s defense, namely his throwing arm, is the best thing that he brings to the field on a daily basis.

His arm strength is what landed him on ESPN’s list of player’s worth paying the price of addmission for. David Schoenfield selected a player from every team that is worth paying for, and Sanchez was the player for the Yankees. Here is what he had to say about his selection of Sanchez.

"Gary Sanchez’s arm strength. Pay to see him hit, learn to appreciate that he’s also impressive behind the plate."

Sanchez’s arm strength is no joke. He threw out 41 percent of the players that attempted to steal a base against him, nailing 13-of-32 would be base steals. The league average is only 29 percent, so Sanchez is already in the upper echelon of the league; he would have finished fifth in the major leagues in caught stealing percentage had he qualified.

Sanchez provides the Yankees with a legitimate weapon behind the plate. He gets it done in every facet of the game, as he is a difference maker with the bat in his hands or playing defense.

Rarely does a player as young as Sanchez impact a game in as many ways as he does. He can be penciled into the lineup every day with the skill set he provides.

Next: New York Yankees: Setting Expectations For 2017 Season

The Yankees are hoping that their other youngsters can have an impact like Sanchez has had. They have plenty more on the way and are hoping they can be in the conversation for players worth paying the price of admission for. But, for now, the multi-faceted Sanchez is definitely worth going to see.

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