Gaby Sanchez much more than flash at first for Marlins

MIAMI -- Mention the top first basemen in the National League, and names like Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder jump out.

Those are the established sluggers in the league, and they've been standouts for years.

But there is an emerging first baseman who is making a lot of noise in South Florida, even if he is not as well known on the national scene.
A major reason the Marlins are one of the surprise teams in the NL is the consistency of first baseman Gaby Sanchez.

The 27-year-old Miami native is batting .336, seventh in the NL, and he paces the Marlins in batting average, home runs (six), hits (46) and RBIs (23).

A fourth-place finisher in the NL Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2010, Sanchez also is making a case that he's building on his first year to be one of the most productive at his position.

"People are going to start talking about him a little bit more often," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said.

Sanchez has seen his profile rise. On Monday, for the first time in his career, he was named NL Player of the Week, after hitting .464 for the period ending Sunday.

Being an unassuming steady performer makes it easy to blend in on a team that features All-Star Josh Johnson, who has gained much of the Marlins' national attention this year.

Sanchez opened the season batting sixth, but after Mike Stanton suffered a mild hamstring strain on Opening Day, he has hit cleanup most of the year.

"'Flying under the radar,' as people say," Sanchez said. "If you go out there and just worry about winning ballgames, and not anything else, the numbers are going to be there."

Sanchez also points out that big numbers get attention, not producing quietly over long stretches.

"If you hit 50 home runs, people are going to talk," Sanchez said. "If you hit 80 doubles, people are going to talk. But if you just stay even keel and not try to worry about anything and stay consistent, you should be all right.

"That's what I'm just trying to do -- stay consistent. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just stay consistent."

The people not surprised by Sanchez's success are his coaches.

Rodriguez, formerly a manager in the Marlins' Minor League system, has seen Sanchez develop from the time he was a fourth-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. A former University of Miami standout, Sanchez was a career .302 hitter in 487 Minor League games.

He got a taste of the big leagues in 2008 and '09, appearing in 26 total games. And in '10, he won the Marlins' starting first-base job.

"He's our most consistent hitter, but not only hitting, he's been our most consistent player during the season," Rodriguez said. "He's been amazing out there. He's taking the quiet leadership role, and he's been doing fine.

"We've been working with Gaby for so many years now, since rookie ball. That's why it doesn't take us by surprise. We knew what kind of player he was, not only physically, but mentally, and how he prepares himself. It's showing. He takes a lot of pride in all dimensions of the game, offensively and defensively."

There is little fanfare around Sanchez, but his numbers certainly are worthy of discussion.

Since 2010, Sanchez and Votto each have 46 doubles, which are the most of any NL first basemen the past two seasons.

Also in that span, Sanchez ranks fourth among NL first basemen in batting average (.285), sixth in RBIs (108) and third in hits (202).

When it comes to his 2010 NL rookie classmates, Sanchez certainly ranks favorably against the two position players who finished ahead of him in the voting.

San Francisco catcher Buster Posey won the award and Atlanta outfielder Jason Heyward was second, while St. Louis pitcher Jaime Garcia was third.

Posey is batting .244, with four homers and 19 RBIs this year. Heyward is at .220, with seven homers and 14 RBIs.

Since 2010, Sanchez has appeared in 187 games, and he has 94 runs, 202 hits, 46 doubles, 25 homers and 108 RBIs to go along with a .285 batting average.

Posey, meanwhile, has been in 142 games, with 70 runs, 153 hits, 25 doubles, 22 homers, 86 RBIs and a .291 batting average.

And Heyward has seen action in 179 games, and he has 101 runs, 172 hits, 33 doubles, 25 homers, 86 RBIs and a .266 batting average.

Sanchez has great respect for those in his rookie class, and he notes that Posey and Heyward were part of playoff teams in 2010.

"They're great hitters. They're great players," Sanchez said. "At the end of the year, their numbers are going to be there, too. It's a thing of me going up against them. I'm trying to help this team and trying to help them go to the playoffs.

"Like Posey did last year with the Giants -- he helped them last year go to the playoffs and go to the World Series. That's my goal. It's not basically individual numbers, it's the team number, and what can I do to help the team win."



(mlb.com)