FREDDY SANCHEZ

12/21/77; '00 11th (Boston); Oklahoma City Univ.
R/R; 5-11, 185

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2000 A (Bos)
.303
.372
.367
109
7
0
0
11
19
4
0
2000 A- (Bos)
.288
.347
.439
132
13
2
1
9
16
2
4
2001 AA (Bos)
.326
.363
.472
178
20
0
2
9
21
3
1
2001 A+ (Bos)
.339
.388
.446
280
19
4
1
22
30
5
3
2002 AL (Bos)
.188
.278
.188
16
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
2002 AAA (Bos)
.301
.350
.432
183
10
1
4
12
21
5
3
2002 AA (Bos)
.328
.403
.437
311
23
1
3
37
45
19
3
2003 AL (Bos)
.235
.235
.294
34
2
0
0
0
8
0
0
2003 AAA (Bos)
.341
.430
.493
211
17
0
5
31
36
8
0
2003 AAA
.400
.400
.600
5
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
2004 NL
.158
.158
.158
19
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
2004 AAA
.264
.326
.360
125
7
1
1
11
17
4
1
2005 NL
.291
.336
.400
453
26
4
5
27
36
2
2
2006 NL
.344
.378
.473
582
53
2
6
31
52
3
2
2007 NL
.304
.343
.442
602
42
4
11
32
76
0
1

Sanchez began 2006 as a UT player, thanks to Dave Littlefield's boneheaded signing of Joe Randa, but made the All-Star team, recorded 200 hits and finished the season as the Pirates' 25th batting champion. Sanchez was coming off a solid season in 2005, his first full one, and had finished strongly in September, hitting 325/358/526, with 4 of his 5 HRs. He'd also played outstanding defense at 3B, with a zone rating that would have led the majors by a wide margin if he'd qualified. Littlefield nevertheless signed the 36-year-old Randa, but he got off to a dismal start while Sanchez was hot, hitting .333 in April. Jim Tracy continued to play Randa, falling back on the classic Lloyd McClendon excuse of claiming that Sanchez was doing well only because Tracy was choosing his spots. When Randa went out with a fractured foot, however, Sanchez got even better with regular playing time. Eager to save face, Tracy and Littlefield continued to maintain that Randa was the regular 3B, but when Sanchez officially took over the NL batting lead they finally relented. In the end, Sanchez not only led the NL in hitting, but also in doubles, for which he tied for the major league lead. He hit over .300 in every month, torched LHPs for a .442 average and hit .386 with RISP.

The big question was whether 2006 was a career year for Sanchez. He moved to 2B in 2007, replacing the deteriorating Jose Castillo. Sanchez suffered a sprained knee during spring training, which led to much criticism of the Pirates' decision to move him to a position where he'd have to face baserunners trying to take him out on the pivot. The sprain clearly affected him early in the season, as he hit .224 in April and showed no range in the field. He started to hit in May, however, and in July suddenly started hitting for power. He had only one HR at the end of June, but hit five each in July and August, with a line of 374/447/610 for the latter month. He continued to wreck LHPs, posting an OPS against them of .956 compared to .721 against RHPs. Sanchez also improved dramatically on defense as the season progressed. He led NL secondbasemen in DPs and his range improved. Most statistical measures, like zone rating or Baseball Prospectus' system, show his range as below average, but his early season problems with the knee probably played a role—he rated better in BP's sytem at the end of the year than he did at mid-season, for example. Sanchez cooled off with the bat in September, but that may have resulted from a sore shoulder. His season ended five days early as he had minor shoulder surgery. He's expected to be fully recovered well before spring training in 2008.

Sanchez is a bit like a right-handed version of Ichiro Suzuki. He doesn't walk much, but he can put the bat on just about any pitch, which makes him very difficult to pitch to. He sprays hits all over the field, which also makes him difficult to defense. He was very hard to fan in 2006 but not as much in 2007, which may indicate he was trying to hit for more power. He will sometimes swing at amazingly bad pitches, including breaking balls far outside, which may explain his weaker numbers against RHPs. His speed is average at best and he's not a threat to steal.

The Pirates acquired Sanchez in the reworked Suppan/Lyon trade with Boston, with the net result being a trade of Scott Sauerbeck and Jeff Suppan for Sanchez. He had surgery to remove a bone spur from his ankle shortly after the Pirates acquired him, which kept him from competing for the 2B job in spring training. In keeping with their recurring pattern, they had stated Sanchez would be ready by then, but he wasn't until mid-season. Sanchez himself said in an interview that the surgery was more serious than had been reported in the media and that the doctors had told him from the start that the recovery would probably take about a year. He finally was able to report to Nashville, where he was very rusty at first but eventually began to hit well. He appeared briefly with the Pirates, then made the team as a UT player in 2005. Due to injuries to Jose Castillo and the poor play of Ty Wigginton, he ended up getting considerable playing time at both 2B and 3B, enough to finish 4th on the team in ABs. He also served as the principle backup at SS.

Sanchez is a remarkable story, because he was born with a club foot and there were doubts he'd even be able to walk normally. He's an example of a guy who wasn't naturally gifted, but made himself into a good player. Even if he isn't able to hit .340 every year—he played 2006 at age 28, so it may have been a peak year—he showed in 2007 that his hitting in 2006 wasn't a fluke. He's hit for high averages everywhere he's gone. Ideally, Sanchez would bat second spot in the batting order, but he spent most of 2007 batting third, as the Pirates don't have anybody suited to batting third unless Jason Bay returns to his 2005-06 form.  Shortly before spring training in 2008, Sanchez signed a two-year contract with an option for 2010, which would have been his free agent year.  It's a club option, but it vests if he reaches specified performance levels.

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