Ever since Gary Sanchez returned to the New York Yankees, his arm is there but his accuracy is definitely still on the disabled list.
Gary Sanchez made his first career trip to the disabled list in after the fifth game of the season for the New York Yankees. A right biceps strain kept their star catcher sidelined for quite some time.
And he’s back. So naturally he would get right back in the swing of things, right?
Since Sanchez has returned, his bat has picked right back where he left off when he first joined the team last August. However, his arm is a completely different story.
Sanchez has been firing the ball at top speeds, per usual. However, his accuracy is off.
And when I say off, I mean WAY off.
In 13 games at catcher this season, Sanchez has allowed eight base runners to steal on him, while catching only two. That means he’s got a 20 percent chance of throwing out runners stealing.
Last season, even though he only played 36 games, he still threw out 41 percent of runners attempting to steal.
Even on the one runner he did throw out since his return, his throw was arrant and required Starlin Castro to jump out of his shoes to haul down the laser throw. Castro ultimately saved the play to tag out Alex Bregman.
But that’s not the first time that has happened. Even though he was playing against the speedy Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros, his arm is more than capable of throwing out top-tier runners.
He just hasn’t been doing it. Numerous throws have gone to the outfield or just have come late, almost like Sanchez is rushing his throws to second base.
In spring training alone, Sanchez dared his opponents to run. Then he threw out six of them, man of whom were smart and speedy base runners.
But now? It doesn’t even look like the same Sanchez we saw dominate in spring training. He looks like a catcher that is easy to run on, which isn’t the case at all.
Does that mean his arm still isn’t at full strength? Or does it mean that Sanchez is thinking too much when he’s chucking from behind the plate?
He simply looks like he’s overthrowing. He’s trying to make up for lost time by focusing on the speed of the throw, not the accuracy. And allowing those runners to get into scoring position is not benefiting the Yankees as they try to stay afloat with their lackluster starting pitching.
However, the thought still lingers in the back of our mind that maybe Sanchez was more hurt than we were led to believe. I’ve never seen Sanchez be more inaccurate, even during his time in the minors.
Gary Sanchez is now hitting .355 (11-31) since his return from the DL ? pic.twitter.com/X7dUcx3uVW
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) May 17, 2017
It’s still early. There is still time for Sanchez to right the ship. The problem is, if it is all in his head, it might be a while before he gets his throws back to perfection.
Honestly, I would take an inaccurate Sanchez if it meant his commanding presence behind the plate would still be there. However, I think we would all prefer to have a Sanchez who was gunning down runners in his sleep.
The time will come for Sanchez but right now, the problem isn’t his swing. It’s not his lack of home runs. It is his throwing arm, which the Yankees desperately need back on track.
Gary Sanchez left the Yankees early and came back with a hot bat and a bum arm. Opponents aren’t afraid to run on Sanchez right now but once he’s healthy, they will be.
