Yankees Gary Sanchez: Baby Bomber Barrage Continues

Gary Sanchez has been on a tear at the plate for the New York Yankees. Now that it seems as though he will be the starting catcher moving forward, can fantasy owners trust him down the stretch?

.360 AVG/5 HR/11 RBI/1.116 OPS

The stat line above belongs to none other than, Gary Sanchez, who has put on a power show as of late. Sanchez is not only showing why he has been one of the most hyped prospects in baseball for years now, but has also solidified himself as the starting backstop for the Yankees. Fantasy owners who were lucky enough to read our advice in picking up Sanchez last week, have enjoyed the spoils of his recent surge, yet he is still available in over 50% of leagues.

But, can fantasy owners trust him down the stretch?

Gary Sanchez was signed as an amateur free agent in 2009 out of the Dominican Republic. Most fantasy owners should be well aware of the hype that has surrounded Sanchez, as he has continually ranked on the top prospect lists since 2011. However, there seemed to be some “prospect fatigue” when it came to Sanchez over the last few seasons, as many have been patiently awaiting his arrival in the bigs.

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If it seems as though that Sanchez has been around forever, it is probably because he signed with the Yankees as a 17-year-old. For most of his career he has not only had to battle through the minors and developing as a player, but he has had to also carry the weight of being labeled the future star catcher for the Yanks.

Even though his bat has never been in question, his skills behind the plate have been criticized. But, thanks to being armed with an absolute cannon of an arm, the improvements he has made behind the plate the last year or so have been impressive. With Sanchez finally putting it altogether, combined with the Yankees retooling this season, everything has fallen in place for him to shine.

Fantasy owners know that the catcher position can be a black hole in terms of fantasy value. Between the nagging injuries, and common AVG drain, finding top level talent is fantasy gold. Sanchez has 13 hits over the last seven games he has started. Five of those hits have been HR, and he has driven in eight in the process. Looking at his minor league track record, Sanchez has always shown gap to gap power, and the team was hopeful that he would eventually convert that skill into more HR production.

His career high HR total was 18, accomplished twice in 2012 and 2015. He also has three seasons of over 20 doubles as well, further proving that his career .275 AVG in the minors is no fluke. Gary Sanchez does have a 100+ K season under his belt, but he has made the right tweaks at the plate as he has not eclipsed the 100 K mark in four seasons.

While Sanchez plays at a premium fantasy position, and has shown the ability to be solid at the plate, it seemed that consistent playing time was going to be hard to come by with Brian McCann and Austin Romine in the fold. But, with Romine clearly being suited for backup duties, and with McCann struggling at the plate, Sanchez’s appears to have taken the starting reigns.

Joe Girardi has seemingly verified this sentiment as well, stating that Sanchez is “here to play” and that McCann will now see “plenty of days at the DH spot”. Finding fantasy gems often comes down to finding players with skill and opportunity, so now that Sanchez is on fire at the plate and now tasked with being the starting catcher, fantasy owners can have confidence in adding him.

The torrid pace that Gary Sanchez has set is certainly unsustainable, but even if the power subsides, he has shown that at worst he can notch XBH. The supporting cast around Sanchez caps his counting stats, but playing in Yankee Stadium will offset some of those concerns. Owners should add him off the wire with confidence, and ride his hot streak down the stretch.

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