Player Update: Gary Sanchez
While the Yankees have been on a roll that would make the 1998 World Series team proud, one of the rough patches we’ve witnessed so far is Gary Sanchez’s failure to find his stride, to make the big hits he’s known for. And he’s not just in an ordinary slump --he’s 2-for-25, with ONE RBI, no home runs, and he’s hitting… .080. On top of those abysmal numbers, he’s struck out 14 times.
Yes, I know that the season is only nine games old. Yes, I understand that “summer camp” was short, and not the equivalent of a normal Spring Training.
But… this performance from the Kraken is more than a little concerning. If this season were a normal, 162-game season, the concern would be significantly less; however, there is no time for Sanchez to get in his zone in a 60-game season with a slew of double-headers. It had to happen yesterday. As I sit here and discuss the situation with my Old Man (my family’s resident baseball expert), I find out he’s longing for Austin Romine. Considering the year that Romine is having in Detroit (.273 BA, 6-for-22, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 K), that’s really not an unreasonable wish. Romine is not a more talented player than Sanchez is, but the expectations that the Yankees have always had for Sanchez were always far higher than the expectations of Romine -- meanwhile, Romine is having a better year.
All joking aside, Sanchez looks tired, uninspired and not even close to putting the bat on the ball in the manner he once did. Fans have already lowered their expectations -- we celebrated and were relieved when Sanchez managed to log one hit in each of two straight games against the Red Sox.
GARY SANCHEZ TOOK A BASEBALL TO RIGHT FIELD!— The Yankee Fan (@YankeeLiveTweet) August 1, 2020
Surely, this Gary is not the Scary Gary we know, the one we’ve stood up for when the critics have called him lazy, or have singled him out for failing to hustle to first base. This Gary is making us all look like idiots. Our former optimism has been replaced by the likes of this hot take:
"The Yankees should just fire him and hire me."— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) August 2, 2020
-- 10 year old Leo on Gary Sanchez.
In the past, injuries have contributed to less than optimal performance from Sanchez -- he found himself on the Injured List four different times in 2018 and three different times in 2019. But Sanchez isn’t injured, or returning from an injury… at least not one that has been made public. He is frustrating to watch, but the question that needs to be asked here is: is something actually wrong with the greatest hitting catcher since Mike Piazza, star of the 2017 Yankees with 33 home runs and 90 RBIs, and former All-Star?
Article by: Mary Grace Donaldson
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