New York Yankees: A bad case of Gary Sanchez has caught on
By Nico Doria
The New York Yankees are doing many things well. However, a case of Gary Sanchez has caught on recently and it’s not ideal.
When Gary Sanchez first came up in the big leagues, he was getting comparisons to great hitters. These comparisons weren’t just to players in the game today, but some great hitters all-time.
In 2017, an article posted by nj.com about a scouts comparison to Gary Sanchez. One scout, in particular, said the following:
"“I watched a lot of [Sanchez] in the minor leagues and it seemed right when he was getting good he got hurt, a fastball on the wrist or get hit by a pitch, I used to think he wasn’t going to be as good as Jorge Posada, but now, maybe the Yankees have Johnny Bench, and there aren’t too many Johnny Benches.”More from Empire Writes BackCaesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!"
In todays era, there are not many power hitting catchers that get comparisons to greats like this when they were coming up. However, Sanchez did.
Which is why his recent attitude constitutes for such harsh press.
The guy just hasn’t run out ground balls the whole season. And clearly, for any New York Yankee fan, Monday night just elevated it to a whole other level.
Hustle does not require you to be blessed with a rare set of skills. In order to hustle, you just have to put in the effort.
And clearly Gary Sanchez is lacking some effort right now.
It is even showing in his defensive game. Passed balls have always been a problem for Sanchez. He lead the AL in that category last year with 16 of them.
With a guy with that kind of talent, catching the ball should not be an issue at all. Especially at a position where the number one priority is to catch the ball.
As a catcher, you’re not going to get called up to the big leagues if you cant show/prove that you cant handle a pitching staff.
The laziness and lack of effort that was on display Monday night might just be the last straw manager Aaron Boone can take after a season full of not running out ground balls.
As we all know, Yankee fans will be calling up radio stations tomorrow to overreact and demand Sanchez be traded and completely give up on the guy.
But, that cant be the case. You cannot give up on a 25-year old catcher that can be one of the best hitting catchers in your franchises history. Especially because he has since been put on the DL. That does not make it okay to not hustle but a tad less questionable.
Before the likes of Aaron Judge came up and Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar, Sanchez was the guy.
Sanchez was the player Yankees fans were calling up radio shows talking about and planning a future around this superstar.
And he can still be that type of player. The guy is only 25 and has more talent than a lot of players in the game right now.
Next: Yanks still have time to make this trade
The only way Gary Sanchez won’t reach his full potential and be the guy everyone once raved about is Gary Sanchez himself