New York Yankees: Excitement, but caution for Gary Sanchez

The New York Yankees are thrilled with Gary Sanchez’s early heroics, but what do some recent cautionary tales tell us about what to expect in the future?

When the New York Yankees called Gary Sanchez up on August 3, it wasn’t exactly his first taste of big league action. The team’s top catching prospect made a pair of plate appearances last October in the final days of the 2015 regular season. But after the Yanks front office used the trade deadline to turn its attention toward the future, it was clear that this promotion would provide Sanchez a real opportunity to make his mark and remain at the big league level.

Through 18 games, “making his mark” seems too meager a phrase to describe what Sanchez is doing. In a matter of weeks, the 23-year-old backstop has become the Yankees’ most potent offensive threat. In a lineup that has largely struggled to score runs this year, that might not seem like that difficult of a feat. But the numbers that Sanchez has been putting up have certainly caught the attention of the league at large as well. On Moday he was named the AL Player of the Week, becoming the second Yankees catcher to ever capture the award (Thurman Munson took one home in 1976).

It was a no-brainer, really. Sanchez’s bat has been absolutely aflame since making his season debut. In a mere 75 plate appearances, he has clubbed eight homers and driven in 15 runs while slashing a ferocious .377/.427/.797. He’s also shown off his arm behind the dish, nabbing five of seven attempted base stealers thus far, including brand names like Mike Trout.

In a hectic market like New York that tends toward hyperbole and melodrama, it’s not surprising that some are already drawing up plans for a Gary Sanchez plaque in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park. Fans should undoubtedly be thrilled about his early performance and what it means for the franchise, both now and in the years to come. However, there are a few cautionary tales in the Yankees’ recent history that should advise fans against getting too far ahead of themselves.

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The most prominent is arguably Kevin Maas, a name that has become synonymous with the player who immediately shines but then fizzles in disappointing fashion. Upon making his debut in late June of 1990, Maas quickly took the city by storm. In just 79 games that year, he slashed .252/.367/.535 with 21 home runs and 41 RBI, finishing second behind Sandy Alomar in the AL Rookie of the Year race.

While Maas did manage another 23 homers over 148 games the following year, his power output was well below what many expected. His overall batting line also sagged to .220/.333/.390. Maas would never recapture that early glory; he would play a total of only 179 games from 1992 to 1995, slashing .229/.306/.397 with 21 home runs and 65 RBI over that span. At the age of 30, he was out of the league.

Shane Spencer is another figure Yankees fans will remember when they think of one-hit wonders. In 27 games during the 1998 season, he slashed .373/.411/.910 with 10 homers and 27 RBI, doing most of his damage in the month of August and onward. Nobody expected a little-heralded rookie outfielder to do a genuine Babe Ruth impression, but ’98 was that kind of season for the Yanks.

Of course, Spencer never fulfilled that early promise either. Across the next six seasons, he would hit a modest .257/.322/.408 while averaging eight home runs and 36 RBI a year as he struggled to secure regular playing time.

A more recent example would be Jesus Montero, who like Sanchez was another highly-touted young catcher in the Yankees farm system. A September call-up in 2011, the club’s consensus top prospect at the time flashed his potential in his first 18 games, slashing .328/.406/.590 with four homers and 12 RBI. Montero, of course, was dealt to the Mariners the following offseason in the Michael Pineda trade. He’s still just 26, but has shown few signs of developing into an impact bat for either the M’s or his current organization, the Blue Jays.

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But how comparable is Sanchez to these past flameouts? There are a variety of factors that set him apart. For one thing, Maas and Spencer were a bit on the older side when they made their major league debuts – 25 and 26, respectively. Neither were exactly coveted minor leaguers at any point in their development, making their early success all the more unexpected.

Sanchez, only 23 years of age, has been a big name down on the Yankees farm for a good while. He has been ranked as a top-100 prospect by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus each year from 2011 to 2016. Although no one quite imagined the last few weeks, his hitting prowess isn’t exactly a surprise. Sanchez was already garnering national attention for his bat last November in the Arizona Fall League, where he slashed .295/.357/.625 with seven round-trippers and 21 RBI in 22 contests.

In the case of Montero, questions about his physical condition and work ethic have played a major role in derailing his once glittering future. He showed up overweight for Spring Training in 2014 (leading to the infamous ice cream sandwich incident later that year) and the Mariners front office soon lost patience with him.

While Sanchez faced some criticism of his own in the past concerning his willingness to dedicate himself to his craft (particularly his defense), he’s also been praised recently for his maturation. As long as he avoids any bad habits, he should put himself in a much better position to succeed than Montero.

Sanchez won’t keep raking like this – no current MLB player could, in all likelihood. Opponents will develop a better idea of how to pitch to him once they see him more, and it will then be up to Sanchez to respond in his approach. That ability to adapt and adjust is what sets those who thrive at the big league level apart from those who don’t.

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But right now the Yankees have every reason to believe that Sanchez can remain a legitimate force in their lineup. Along with fellow recent call-ups Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin, as well as a newly restocked minor league system, the future is looking much brighter in the Bronx.