Tony Sanchez has had a good spring. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
BRADENTON, Fla. — Perhaps Tony Sanchez isn’t going to be a bust after all.
The Pittsburgh Pirates used the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft to select the catcher from Boston College. Six years later, he has yet to gain a foothold in the major leagues, playing in 48 games over the past two seasons and hitting .252 with four home runs.
When spring training began, it was assumed that Sanchez would be assigned to Indianapolis for his fourth season at the Triple-A level. However, he has opened eyes this spring.
Sanchez, 26, has gone 9-for-16 (.563) in exhibition play with two doubles and one home run. He has also drawn praise for his improved defense.
“There comes a point in time people decide it’s time to get after it,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “Tony knows his challenges in the past have created opportunities for other people. Tony has worked extremely hard. He has battled.
“We have to keep everything in context, but you pull for guys who’ve had to battle. Tony has a gifted skill set, and we’ll just see how it plays out.”
Sanchez still could start the season in Indianapolis as he has one minor league option remaining and the Pirates have two veteran catchers in Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart. However, Stewart has a strained right hamstring and might need to begin the season on the disabled list.
The Pirates raved about how advanced Sanchez was defensively when they drafted him. However, he has had problems with throwing and blocking balls in the dirt throughout his professional career.
Sanchez put extra work into his defense in the offseason. He stayed in Bradenton after taking part in the Pirates’ minicamp in early January and worked with low Class A West Virginia manager Brian Esposito, a former major league catcher.
“We worked on being efficient with my transfers, to allow my feet and shoulders to be aligned when I throw,” Sanchez said. “I’ve got nine opportunities to throw down to second base every game (at the end of warmups before each inning) and I use every one of those to work on my mechanics. And when it comes to in-game, I trust those mechanics to work on their own.”
