New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez is reminding us why he’s worth it

El Kraken is back

Looking at his current .270 batting average along with the 15 home runs and 31 RBI he’s delivered so far, it’s obvious that he’s reconnected with his swing. Looking over the advanced metrics adds credence to his turnaround. This is the best Sanchez has gotten the barrel of the bat to the ball in his career.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Sanchez is posting a near career high in On Base Percentage (.346), while overtaking his previous career best in Slugging Percentage with .672.  Even without the supporting numbers, it’s clear to see that Sanchez is hitting the ball well. Actually, close to the best he’s ever hit it, but the stat that really stands out to me is the lack of strikeouts that he’s been able to compile in this year compared to last.

This season, the catcher has tallied up 35 strikeouts in 32 games played. Not the greatest numbers, but compared to his previous season, it’s almost night and day. At this time last year, he played in 10 games and had already accumulated 23 strikeouts. At that pace, Sanchez would hit 35 strikeouts in as little as 15 games.

It’s a true testament to the work Sanchez has put into developing as a Major League hitter. His plate discipline has greatly improved and he’s become a more patient hitter. The New York Yankees are definitely more of a threat when the “Great Sanchino” is hitting the ball well and he’s been the driving force in this team’s fantastic May.