How far can Gary go?
Who
would have thought that we'd be here? Up until their recent series against the Dodgers, the Yankees were playing the best stint of baseball we'd seen from them all year. Coming
off a much needed seven-game win streak, the Yankees look more and more like a team
with a chance to make the post season than they had in previous months. If you haven't been living under a rock for these past few weeks, you probably have heard of
young slugger Gary Sanchez.
Who
is Gary? Well, Gary Sanchez is a 23-year-old who was born in the Dominican
Republic capital of Santo Domingo. He grew up a mere 14 miles away in
the town of La Victoria. In 2009, the Yankees signed then 17-year-old Sanchez as
an international free agent. From then on out, he progressed through the
ranks from Rookie A to the major league roster. Prior to being called up, Sanchez had a modest batting average of .282 in 284 Triple-A ABs. It's also worth noting that he had 10 home runs in 71 games. Every time he got
raised up a level, his level of performance increased as well.
So it
is not a surprising fact that Gary is doing well up in the majors. His ability
to adjust after every pitch, paired up with his power, has made him an
offensive powerhouse. His ability behind the plate has made him a catcher to be
feared. All around, Sanchez is destined to be the next great catcher for the
Yanks.
But
here’s the question.
How
long can this hot streak last?
It goes without question that when a player becomes hot, there is a cool down period. It
even happens to the best players in the league. So will this happen to our
Gary?
As we
take a look at Sanchez's young career, it shows that prior to his call up, he, in
all of his minor league experience, had a batting average that was more or less
centered around .260. Interestingly, he had not yet cracked the .300 mark for a sustained period of time. It only
occurred twice prior to his call up and both happened in Rookie A.
If
this pattern continues, Gary will stagnate. Due to his current performance level, I doubt the drop off will be major. It might not even be
that bad of a decline. But, this is what the data shows. Obviously, playing at a major league level is much different than playing in the minors. Some players perform better
when surrounded by other talented players in the clubhouse.
In many ways, baseball is a mental game. If one is in a good state of mind (in the
zone) and seeing the ball well, one will succeed. The opposite is true too. It
all depends on how one approaches the given situation.
So
will Gary Sanchez keep this positive state of mind going?
Time
will tell.
Article by Daron Vasquez
Follow me on Twitter: @_SimpleDaron
Follow the BBB: @BronxBomberBlog
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