New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez transformed into yo soy el gato

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez earned many accolades last year, as well as some criticism. This year he seems well positioned to turn his only real deficiency into yet another positive.

The New York Yankees have a lineage of excellent catchers. Men such as Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson and Jorge Posada led their teams to many regular season victories. And many championship parades.

Now, Gary Sanchez has risen. His start so far has raised eyebrows as well as the bar for home run hitting Yankees catchers. In 2017, for instance, Sanchez swatted 33 home runs while establishing an SLG of .531.

That was Gary’s third year with the team when he played in his most games by far (122).

Yogi Berra had a similar three-year start concerning games played. In his third season (1948), the unnamed captain made it into 125 games. But the perennial All-Star hit just 14 homers to go with his .488 SLG.

Jorge Posada was also eased into the position. His third year saw him appear in 111 games to post a .475 SLG to go with 17 home runs.

Even when we get to the most prominent hitting of all catchers, Dodgers/Mets Mike Piazza, we find favorable comparisons. Piazza was too good to ease into anything and so played 149 games in just his second season (1993), most of those behind the dish.

And while he hit two more home runs than Sanchez last year (35), it took him 27 more games to do so. However, stats swing in Piazza’s favor when we look at SLG. Mike not only had a higher one (.561) but also had to maintain that over a more extended period.

Still, Gary is clearly scary.

Getting Defensive

The defensive side, however, has been anywhere from above average to excellent. But that comes down to perspective.

His right arm has proven to be a powerful weapon. He has gunned down so many of the fastest runners in the league that there must be a sign in every opposing locker room that reads: As long as you have legs, don’t you ever run on Gary Sanchez.

Here is the legendary Eric Boland of Newsday presenting plenty of evidence:

Tigers speedster Anthony Gose led off the bottom of the inning against Dellin Betances with a drag-bunt single, then took off for second. He got a good jump, but as many runners already have discovered, that doesn’t matter when Sanchez is behind the plate. From his knees, he threw a seed to second baseman Starlin Castro, who tagged out Gose as he slid in.“That’s impressive,” Betances said. “I was just in awe.”Girardi, a former catcher, had a special appreciation of the throw. “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m not sure I can think of anyone else that makes that throw. The arm strength is incredible, the quickness is incredible.”

Block Quotes

But there is more to defense than that. Framing pitches is essential as the catcher can single-handedly swing the count in his pitcher’s favor. And then there is blocking pitches.

It is hard to say this holds the same weight as throwing out runners. Matt Provenzano made his opinion clear when he wrote this last October:

…Caleb Joseph has the most Blocking Runs in baseball at 2.7 runs this season. Sanchez, on the other hand, was worth -2.8 blocking runs. That’s a difference of 5.5 runs a year, or 0.04 runs per game. So even if Sanchez woke up tomorrow and became the best blocker in baseball, it would manifest itself as about one extra run per month.

The italics are his, indicating a sarcastic tone. But no one should countenance any defensive liabilities and so blocking remains an essential aspect of the job. And not just because any deficiency plays out dynamically on TV, for all the world to see.

The far more important ramification is that often a runner gets an extra base. That can swing an inning away from the pitcher.

Last season that appeared to be Yo Soy Gary’s only weakness. Now his appearance suggests he is turning his weakness into a strength.

Here is a picture of Sanchez from last season:

Not exactly a pudgy player. Here is my tweet from Thursday morning.

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Even RHP Juan Sandoval could see the difference, especially in person. Watching him go through his defensive drills the last couple of days, Sanchez does seem to be almost cat quick. Or it could be that I only think that because he is slimmer — because I like cats.

He’s Got Cat Style

The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, though. And we will all start getting a taste of the new Gary on the 23rd when the Yankees host the Tigers.

It seems likely that Gary’s new physique will allow for more flexibility.

However, the real question is whether or not it will have any deleterious effects. There is a chance he might lose some of his power, for instance. I think it unlikely…at least directly.

Indirectly, though, is a real possibility. Remember that before the 2013 season, CC Sabathia lost a lot of weight in the off-season. And initially, he could feel the positive effects. But long before the end of that season, his stamina was found lacking.

Shedding pounds became important to him two Decembers ago when he lost his cousin, Demetrius Davis, to heart disease at the age of 45. That’s what initially spurred Sabathia, but he now figures he dropped too much too fast heading into the ‘13 season.“I felt like ‘The Biggest Loser’ last year,” Sabathia joked, referring to the TV show of the same name. “I lost a lot of weight but I just wasn’t physically ready to go out and play.”

If that is true for Gary, he might see a diminution in his home run totals over the next 162 games.

Take the Weight Off Me

Of course that all comes down to how Yo Soy lost his weight, as noted authority Eric Cressey pointed out about CC’s reconfiguration back then:

…players don’t get hurt or fall off in performance simply because they train; these problems occur when they train incorrectly, whether it’s poor exercise technique, excessive volume, imbalanced programming, inappropriate loading, lack of attention to mobility and soft tissue quality, or any of a host of other factors.

The adverse effects on Sanchez, however, seem less likely. He is younger and has lost less weight. And I’m sure we will get to hear from the cat himself in good times and bad. Until then, Yankees fans will focus on the positives and hope for the best.

Next: Yankees Third Baseman Miguel Andujar Went the Other Way this Off Season

Opponents, meanwhile, will hope for the worst. And whoever turns out to be right might also be predicting the Yankees ultimate success in dos mil dieciocho. That, however, is all just speculation.

Pero es un hecho Yo Soy Gary esta muerto. Larga vida Yo Soy El Gato.

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