Position: C
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 01/20/1997
Country: Venezuela
Signed: International Free Agent, 2013 (Mets)
How Acquired: Free Agent
Bonus: $690,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Yes
Minor League Free Agency: 2024
Options Left: 0
Overview
The Mets paid Sanchez a large bonus to sign out of Venezuela. He’s a strong defensive catcher who’s mostly had a suspect bat. He’s generally done a reasonable job of making contact, but scouts give him a 20 grade for power. He rates very highly for blocking and framing skills, and has usually had caught-stealing percentages above 40%. Due to the weak hitting, he made slow progress through the minors and has only a few games of major league experience. The Pirates claimed him off waivers in 2022, then lost him shortly afterward to a waiver claim. They signed as a free agent to a major league deal for 2024.
2014-16
Sanchez spent three years in short-season ball. He hit well in the Dominican Summer League in 2014, then hit for average but no power in rookie ball in 2015. In 2016, he struggled in the New York-Penn League. His defense was good enough to keep him ranked among the Mets’ top 30 prospects, per Baseball America.
2017-19
Sanchez started to make some progress in full season ball. He struggled in Low Class A in 2017, and also missed part of the season due to a broken hamate. In 2018, which he split between the two Class A levels, he started hitting for average and seldom struck out, but he also rarely walked and didn’t hit for much power. It was the same in AA in 2019. The Mets added Sanchez to their 40-man roster after the 2019 season.
2020-23
During the pandemic season, Sanchez made his major league debut, getting nine ABs. The Mets designated him for assignment shortly before the 2021 season, then sent him to St. Louis for cash. Apart from two games in the majors, he spent the season in AAA, putting up a 275/322/363 line.
The Cards sent Sanchez back to AAA in 2022, then designated him for assignment. The Tigers claimed him and he spent the rest of the season with their AAA affiliate. He continued to hit better, showing decent power and increasing his walk rate. His K rate increased sharply. Detroit waived him after the season and the Pirates claimed him in October. In December, they designated him for assignment and lost him to Arizona on waivers. A month later, the Diamondbacks designated him for assignment and outrighted him to AAA.
Sanchez spent 2023 with Reno in the Pacific Coast League and had easily his best pro season, with a 311/375/492 line in 67 games. Some caution is necessary, though, as the league average OPS was .822 and the average at Reno was .877. He increased both his power and his walk rate, while decreasing his strikeout rate from 26% in 2022 to 16%. He threw out 34% of base stealers. He didn’t get called up, though, and became a free agent after the season.
The Pirates signed Sanchez shortly after learning Endy Rodriguez would miss the 2024 season. They later added Yasmani Grandal, but he was injured at the end of spring training, leaving Sanchez contesting with Jason Delay for the backup catcher job. Delay won out and, with Sanchez having no options, the Pirates designated him for assignment. He seems unlikely to stay with them.
Stats
Transactions
July 2, 2013: Signed as an international free agent by the New York Mets.
November 20, 2019: Contract purchased by the New York Mets.
February 12, 2021: Traded by the New York Mets to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations.
June 18, 2022: Claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals by the Detroit Tigers.
October 18, 2022: Claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
December 2, 2022: Claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
January 5, 2023: Outrighted to AAA by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
November 6, 2023: Became a free agent.
December 1, 2023: Signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
March 30, 2024: Outrighted to AAA by the Pittsburgh Pirates.