SERIOUSLY SANCHEZ? BENCHING YOU FOR THE PLAYOFFS WAS ESSENTIAL!

Source: New York Post

Here at BYB we always look for nuggets to explore with you. Our last piece focused on Gary Sanchez, catcher groomed from a young player in the Yankee system. I rooted for Gary. Watching him grow up at the Trenton Thunder was fun and exciting. The fact that my son became a catcher just a couple of towns over from where Gary was being groomed is just an extra special connection. But, Gary has not lived up to the expectations set for him. And benching him for the playoffs made perfect sense, given his lackluster performance leading into the post season.

"What crossed my mind was that I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know why I wasn't playing, if it was my defense or because I wasn't hitting. That was what I was thinking about. So that's where you start forcing things more than you should, and that's when you make mistakes. I would have liked someone to tell me, "This is what's happening -- this and that," and one has to understand and accept that as a man. You focus in that you have to improve this and that. But no one explained to me why," said Sanchez as reported ESPN.

Source: NJ.com

No way he didn't know why or what was happening. You have to be buried under a rock to not fathom why you were sitting. The fact that the Yankees have given him so many chances baffles me, really. "His defensive woes, particularly his inability to dependably block pitches in the dirt, are well-documented. Sanchez's 52 career passed balls are the most for any big league catcher over the past five seasons. Nonetheless, Sanchez's performance at the plate consistently outweighed his defensive blunders, as evidenced by having the third-highest weighted runs created plus (wRC+) among all backstops since 2016," reported ESPN. But when his bat went silent what value did he bring?

The piece by ESPN is noteworthy. It got me thinking about how Sanchez must feel, finishing up 2020 and then being given one final chance in 2021 to redeem himself. "It's about focusing on 2021. Everyone's numbers start at zero. I went through something similar in 2018: I was hurt all year, and there was so much criticism. [In 2019], I came in, proved myself and had one of the best years of my career," said Sanchez. 

Perhaps the interview was reflection and therapeutic for Sanchez. Being called lazy and overrated is one thing but talking about it and facing it is another. I hope that Sanchez looked down at the belly of the beast and had a come to Jesus of sorts. So much so, that I hope Sanchez turns a 360, and has the best career of his life. He had better. Or it is off to the junk yard for him come 2022.  

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof