Giants Baseball Insider

SF Giants: C Gary Sánchez has "some rust to work off" at Triple-A

During his pregame press availability on Monday, SF Giants manager Gabe Kapler suggested that catcher Gary Sánchez needs some more time in the minors.
Marc Delucchi|
SF Giants: C Gary Sánchez has "some rust to work off" at Triple-A
SF Giants: C Gary Sánchez has "some rust to work off" at Triple-A

In this story:

San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants appear in no rush to promote catcher Gary Sánchez. Sánchez inked a minor-league deal with San Francisco earlier this season, and is expected to play a role in the majors. However, Giants manager Gabe Kapler seemed to pump the brakes on Sánchez joining the team in the immediate future.

Kapler said he was, "Hearing good things" about Sánchez's first looks since arriving in Sacramento with the Giants Triple-A affiliate but acknowledged that he still has a ways to go.

"There's some rust to work off," Kapler said. "I mentioned that Joey hasn't needed a whole lot of time because he was already built up and ready to go. Gary doesn't have that foundation built up yet, so we need to do that for him."

The Giants were reportedly pursuing Sánchez for several months before signing him during the first week of the season. While Sánchez was unable to receive a major-league contract, his deal with the Giants is worth up to $4 million and includes an opt-out if he is not in the majors by May 1st.

Sánchez was once one of the best young catchers in the majors. A former top-100 prospect in the Yankees farm system, Sánchez blasted 20 home runs in just 53 games as a rookie in New York, quickly garnering attention with a .299/.376/.657 triple-slash. Over the next three years, he recorded at least 30 home runs in a season twice and earned a pair of All-Star selections.

In the years since, the long-term effects of an early-career shoulder injury mixed with MLB's decision to deaden baseballs made it harder for Sánchez to tap into his home run power. Last season with the Twins, Sánchez hit .205/.282/.377 with 16 home runs in 128 games (471 plate appearances).

While Sánchez was a passable MLB starter last season, the Giants are hopeful that young catchers Joey Bart and Blake Sabol can solidify the position. But, if they struggle, the SF Giants will look to have Gary Sánchez ready to stabilize the position.

Published
Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

Share on XFollow maddelucchi
Home/San Francisco Giants News