MLB: The Top Pitchers Under 25 Years of Age
By Kit Anderson
6. Aaron Sanchez-24
Aaron Sanchez has given the Blue Jays pitching staff a big boost this season after the departure of David Price. He has already pitched well above 100 innings this season for the first time in his career. The Blue Jays are now considering Sanchez not only part of their pitching staff this year, but for a while into the future.
Sanchez has gone 11-1 with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.134 WHiP, striking out 118 batters so far. That is solid for any pitcher, much less a young pitcher who has often been matched up against the best offenses in baseball this past season. He has the ability to get a lot of outs through getting the ball put in play, his ability to rack up strikeouts helps get him out of potential trouble.
Sanchez forced the Blue Jays hand recently when they acquired Francisco Liriano and opted for a six man rotation as opposed to moving Sanchez to the bullpen or the minor leagues. He has been much better than expected so far, and if he can sustain anything close to the numbers he has been putting up, will soon be considered one of the best young pitchers in the game.
Having a controllable young arm like Sanchez to front the rotation will be a help for the Blue Jays for years to come.
Next: He could be an ace almost anywhere else