Gerrit Cole is officially a New York Yankees starter. Now that he’s arrived, more than just the fans are excited to get down to business.
Gerrit Cole signed a record-breaking contract with the New York Yankees before Christmas, and yet, that still wasn’t the biggest thing to happen this offseason. No, the highlights revolved around his former team.
But with mere days before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, it’s all become incredibly real. Cole will be donning the Yankee pinstripes starting in 2020 and it’s not just fans who are ecstatic for this signing.
Catcher Gary Sanchez took to the airwaves to discuss his excitement over catching Gerrit Cole this upcoming season on The Michael Kay Show.
When asked about how he felt squatting behind the plate for Cole this season, Sanchez said, “super excited. I thought we already had a pretty good pitching rotation, and Gerrit just makes it that much better.”
Sanchez has certainly caught some solid pitchers in his day but he has yet to see what Cole has to offer firsthand. Although he told Michael Kay that he’s been studying video this offseason, he will “sit down and talk with him a lot throughout camp in order for him and I to have a good rapport.”
While Sanchez is not the best defensive catcher in the league, he has certainly improved his stats since he was last crucified by the media. Sanchez ranked first in passed balls in both 2017 and 2018 before cutting it down to only seven passed balls in 90 games in 2019.
What keeps him in the lineup is most certainly his bat. Sanchez led all catchers across the league with 34 home runs in 2019. Despite his injuries, he managed to command some difficult pitchers and put together solid performances.
Now he has an opportunity to work with another ace in Gerrit Cole. It’s easy to get intimidated by the name, but it seems Sanchez has no problem catching Cole, which is excellent news as Opening Day draws closer.
