WHY I'M RE-EVALUATING GARY SANCHEZ'S FUTURE

Oh here it comes, the inevitable “who gives a crap about that Jesus Montero fellow we just traded away, such and such prospect is going to be better anyway” post.

Well not quite, but the shocking trade has undoubtedly greatly altered Gary Sanchez's future. Whereas before he was a low level prospect with tons of potential who was doomed to be blocked for years, the Yankees' lack of a long term answer behind the dish, barring an extension for Russell Martin or a Miguel Montero signing next winter, now has all eyes on Sanchez as the solution.

In Sanchez's top five prospects profile, I wrote, “With such an uncertain future and his path to a big league starting role blocked until 2018 (assuming he could learn to play 1st and replace Tex, even longer if not), the Yankees may find him most valuable as a trading chip.” This was working under the assumption that Sanchez's defense will never develop into an above-average skill, and that if the future Yankees are willing to play an offense first catcher, Montero would take the job. Otherwise, either Austin Romine or Russell would hold the job. If the latter situation ends up the realistic one and the Yankees continue to value defense first, Montero's departure has little to no effect on Sanchez's future, unless he can somehow learn to play third base or a corner outfield position. However, scouts are much higher on Sanchez's defensive potential than they ever were on Montero's. Ryan Kelley of Baseball News Hound (HERE) wrote, “Unlike Jesus Montero, Sanchez’s athleticism and build should allow him to develop in to a solid receiver.” While it's certainly easy for me to point at Sanchez's ludicrous passed ball totals and assume he will never develop a strong defensive game, scouts seem convinced that he has the athleticism to figure things out back there. I will remain skeptical, as is appropriate with all prospects, but if the scouts say that he has the ability, I'm going to trust them.

It's no secret that Sanchez has attitude problems, and in my opinion the first step to becoming a more complete player is losing the sense of entitlement. Plenty of players get over their problems, but as we've seen with guys like Milton Bradley, extremely talented players can be put into a perpetual battle with themselves that keeps them from even touching their full potential. However, it's important to remember that few teenagers don't have attitude problems, and that's exactly what Sanchez is today. If he hasn't shaken the problems by 21 or 22, then we have a legitimate problem on our hands, but for now I'll view it as a heavily exaggerated story.

I don't think I need to go into much more detail describing his offensive potential than I have in the past. He has an immature approach at the plate which results in a lot of strikeouts and relatively few walks. However, scouts say he has a good eye that should help turn those numbers around as he progresses. The power is phenomenal, in fact raw power may be the one area of his offensive game that has clear potential to surpass Montero's. Whether or not he'll be able to hit for a high average remains to be seen, but as with plenty other aspects of Sanchez's game, the potential is certainly there.

All I'm trying to say is while I'm not radically changing my opinion on Sanchez, there is certainly a much clearer road to the Bigs for him. Perhaps something will finally click with Romine and he'll become a .300 hitter. Maybe Russell has a big year offensively and earns a big check. Hell, I wouldn't count on it but what if Yadier Molina and Miguel Montero manage to make it to the free agent market after the 2012 season? Common sense would suggest that the Yankees would pretty much have to pursue one of them. There are still plenty of ways for Gary's path to be blocked, but as of now he's our top catching prospect and with Jesus gone represents the exciting young impact hitter we keep on expecting to finally show up.




--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer



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