New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez has been working all offseason

Gary Sanchez has been working to correct his awful 2020 season after being benched by the New York Yankees in the playoffs.

Gary Sanchez does not believe in days off.

It isn’t just that he’s playing in the Dominican Winter League and hitting balls high and far enough that NASA is tracking them. According to Luke Voit, Sanchez’s work started long before then.

Speaking to reporters, including Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, Voit said Sanchez went right to the New York Yankees’ facility in Tampa after the Bronx Bombers’ season ended.

“He was coming to the facility before he came down and he was literally hitting for hours and hours at a time with both of our hitting coaches,” Voit said. “He’s got something to prove.”

Gary Sanchez hit 10 home runs in the abbreviated 60-game season, but hit just .147. He was benched for Kyle Higashioka in the playoffs and struck out in over a third of his plate appearances. Despite that, the Yankees tendered him a contract for the 2021 season.

Voit added Sanchez would spend “hours and hours” in the batting cage with hitting coaches Marcus Thames and P.J. Pilittere. After working on his mechanics, he went to the Dominican Republic to play for Toros Del Este. Through 13 at-bats, he is batting over .500 with a pair of home runs and six RBIs.

However, Gary Sanchez has more work to do because 2021 may truly be his last chance to make an impact with the Yankees. Unless he takes what he’s doing in winter ball and replicates it over a 162-game season, it will look like more of the same.

Still, Voit seems to think his teammate will be just fine.

“We know what he’s capable of,” Voit added. “The dude’s got a lot of talent. I think he’s going to come out and have a big year for us.”