Marlins confident Gaby Sanchez can develop into productive first baseman

JUPITER — Gaby Sanchez might not hit home runs right away like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard, but the Marlins are confident he can develop into a productive first baseman.

"Gaby, given a lot of at-bats, he may be a 15- to 20-home run guy. For a first year in the major leagues, I'll take that," manager Fredi Gonzalez said Sunday.

Sanchez hasn't won the first base job yet. But after Florida cut infielder Jorge Jimenez on Sunday, Sanchez is the front-runner to be in the Marlins' starting lineup two weeks from today at CitiField in New York.

Jimenez, a Rule 5 draft pick who was offered back to the Boston Red Sox, arrived in Jupiter as an option to start at third base. But his departure means the Marlins are confident they have a first baseman and won't need to move Jorge Cantu from third to first.

Of the two candidates, Sanchez has an edge over Logan Morrison, who's hitting .200 (8 for 40) in 11 games. Sanchez, 26, is batting .387 (12-for-31) over his first nine games and homered for the first time on Saturday in Viera.

"So far, there's not much I feel like I can do more," the former University of Miami standout said. "I feel like I been hitting the ball well and seeing a lot of pitches."

Sanchez had a chance last spring to win the job but opened the season in Class AAA New Orleans, where he hit 16 home runs in 318 at-bats. He hit two more home runs in 21 at-bats in September for the Marlins. This spring he said he's more relaxed. He said he's confident he can blossom into an offensive threat, even if he doesn't hit home runs like other first basemen in the league.

"It's different when you haven't played in the big leagues an entire year and not knowing where you're at power-wise, but I know that its there and I know I will hit some," he said.

And if Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross hit their share of home runs, Sanchez won't feel pressure to hit for power. If he makes the team, he projects to hit eighth in the batting order.

"It's probably not a big intricate part of my game," he said. "I can definitely hit some but I feel like I'm more of a gap-to-gap kind of guy with doubles."

Jimenez's departure also brings the bench competition into focus. Infielder Wes Helms, catcher Ronny Paulino and utility man Emilio Bonifacio are locks, leaving two spots open. Gonzalez has said he prefers a true left-handed bat off the bench, which fits Mike Lamb.

Lamb can also play the outfield and corner infield positions, and can serve as an emergency catcher. He had a pinch-hit three-run double with two outs in the sixth inning Sunday.

The Marlins also like Brian Barden, who's primarily and infielder. Barden started in left field Sunday. If Lamb and Barden win the final spots, outfielder Brett Carroll would be the odd man out. Carroll, considered the top defensive outfielder, has been taking infield drills at third base, something he did on his own.

Gonzalez insists he is keeping an open mind about the roster makeup.

"It all depends on the makeup of the team," he said. "I've got two or three different rosters in there counting bullpen arms and starters and how you want to handle the bench. If the roster we start off with in April is not what we think, we'll make adjustments."



(palmbeachpost.com)