Pirates first baseman Gaby Sanchez continues to thrive as the right-handed half of the club's first base platoon. He went 2 for 3 with his second home run Tuesday against left-hander Cole Hamels and Philadelphia.

Sanchez is hitting a robust 6 for 17 with two doubles and two home runs (1.274 OPS) against lefties, but righties have held him to just 2 for 14 without an extra-base hit (.421 OPS). As such, expect him to continue splitting time with Garrett Jones in a platoon at first base even if Sanchez's overall .885 seems to demand more at-bats.


(cbssports.com)

Gaby Sanchez launched a solo homer and had three RBI in Thursday's victory over the Phillies.

Sanchez tied things up in the sixth with a solo shot off of Cliff Lee, and he got to Lee again the next inning with an RBI single. The first baseman took Lee and Cole Hamels deep in the series win, and he now has a longball in each of his last three starts. He could continue to be a solid NL-only play.


(rotoworld.com)

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Gaby Sanchez hit his team-leading fourth Grapefruit League home run as the Pirates rallied for a 4-3 win over the Red Sox at McKechnie Field on Monday afternoon.

Trailing, 2-1, in the seventh, Pittsburgh got a leadoff walk from Josh Harrison and then Sanchez crushed a Chris Carpenter offering over the left-field fence.

For his second straight start, James McDonald endured a shaky first inning and then settled into dominance. On Wednesday, he allowed three runs in the first to Toronto and then retired 14 of the last 17 batters he faced. In Monday's game, he gave up two runs on three first-inning hits and then held the Red Sox to one other hit over his final 4 1/3 frames.

The right-hander also notched six strikeouts and issued three free passes.

One day after Jon Lester hurled six perfect innings, Boston starter Clay Buchholz pitched one-hit ball for five innings on Monday. Buchholz gave up his first run of the spring, but he was extremely sharp for a fourth consecutive start, limiting the Pirates to a second-inning homer by Neil Walker. In 13 1/3 innings, the righty has allowed seven hits and a run.

For Walker, who was hampered by injuries the last six weeks of the 2012 season, the homer was his first since Aug. 12.

Ryan Lavarnway's two-run single off McDonald in the first gave Boston a quick 2-0 lead.

Jason Grilli, the Pirates' new closer who had been away participating in the World Baseball Classic with Italy, made his first Grapefruit League appearance since March 3. Grilli came on in the sixth and retired the side in order.

Michael McKenry tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when he hit a leadoff homer off Oscar Villarreal.


(mlb.com)

At the trade deadline last season, the Pirates added first baseman Gaby Sanchez and subtracted Casey McGehee. In doing so, they lost a player who had the ability to play both corner infield positions, thus relying on Josh Harrison to back up Pedro Alvarez at third.

However, Sanchez has come into camp this spring and shown an intriguing aspect of his game: the ability to play third base.

Sanchez, 29, has not played in a single inning at 3B in over 400 career MLB innings. He did play the hot corner in 148 minor league games, committing 37 errors in 395 defensive chance. The last time he appeared at third was in 2009 with the New Orleans Zephyrs.

He’s been logging some time there thus far in Grapefruit League play, in addition to ripping the cover off the ball. While it’s only spring training, it is great to see Sanchez regaining his strength; it sounds like he is fully healthy and ready to contribute in a big way. It would be huge for the Pirates if Gaby can play decent defense at third, as it would give them a few options to work with.

Sanchez would not only be able to rest Garrett Jones at first, but Alvarez at third as well. The Bucs need to replace Pedro’s power on his days off, and Gaby potentially has the ability to do so. He possesses a better bat than Harrison, which definitely gives him the edge. It would especially help when the Pirates face a left-handed pitcher, as both Sanchez’s and Alvarez’s career splits indicate. Only nine of Pedro’s 50 career home runs have come against southpaws, and his batting average has been much lower against them as well. On the other hand, the right-handed hitting Sanchez has put up a solid .291/.385/.484 line vs. LHP.

The ability to play third base makes Sanchez a much more valuable player. He’s very restricted as a first basemen only, especially since Garrett Jones should see the bulk of playing time there. At third, however, he can rest Pedro Alvarez for scheduled off days, against tough lefties, and sometimes when Pedro is in a slump. Alvarez is still a very streaky hitter who will see his share of slumps, but it’s important to keep that power in the lineup. Sanchez provides that strong bat, so he has the potential to be a formidable backup when called upon. Hopefully he can provide decent defense at 3B and give the Pirates that extra option.


(http://fromforbestofederal.com)

BRADENTON, Fla. — Gaby Sanchez went 3 for 3 with a double, home run and two RBIs on Tuesday, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-0 rout of Spain’s World Baseball Classic team.

Rhiner Cruz, a Houston Astros reliever and one of just two players with major league experience on the Spanish roster, allowed three runs in one inning.

The right-handed hitting Sanchez will likely platoon at first base with Garrett Jones this season but played third base against Spain.

Gerrit Cole, the first overall selection in the 2011 draft, started and struck out six in three innings as he combined with four relievers on a five-hitter. He allowed two hits and one walk.

Darren Ford and Anderson Hernandez had two hits each for Pittsburgh.


(washingtonpost.com)

BRADENTON, Fla. -- When the 2012 season ended, Gaby Sanchez gave himself only one week off. Then, he went to work.

If sweating hard and lifting weights is a luxury, it is one he couldn't afford the previous offseason as he had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a damaged patella tendon.

"Last year I couldn't lift my legs," he said. "I couldn't really do anything power-wise because I had the knee surgery, so I really didn't start working out. And when I did, it wasn't heavyweight. It was lightweight, just trying to get the leg not hurting again."

Sanchez's power numbers dived last season, when his combined OPS (on-base plus slugging) between stops in Miami and Pittsburgh was .620 -- the lowest of his career.

"I wasn't strong anywhere on my lower half," he said. "That's where I hit from -- I hit from my lower half. When that's not feeling right, nothing seems to go into place."

The Pirates acquired Sanchez at the trade deadline from the Miami Marlins. At the time, Sanchez was hitting .202. After joining the Pirates, his fortunes hadn't changed much.

He started his tenure in Pittsburgh going 0 for 13 with runners in scoring position before finally converting Sept. 2 -- more than a month after the trade.

"He played from behind last year," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "He had a late-November surgery on a knee, played catch-up for most of the year. I don't think he got in real good baseball shape until about a month in with us."

Now, it appears Sanchez has his sea legs under him.

Sanchez has had one of the strongest starts of any Pirate in spring training. He is hitting .417 and crushed two home runs in a Grapefruit League game over the weekend, two no-doubters that reminded Hurdle of the success Sanchez had in Miami -- where he was fourth in rookie of the year voting in 2010 and an All-Star in 2011.

Sanchez will platoon at first base with Garrett Jones, but he also has spent time this spring workout out at third base. But if Sanchez plays well enough, he will play on a consistent basis; Hurdle has been creative in the past to find ways to keep a hot bat on the field.

He credits his offseason conditioning plan that aggressively targeted his legs -- a source of power for any baseball player -- for fueling his hot start. He spent nearly two months lifting weights before picking up a bat for the first time this offseason.

"Sometimes you have to just forget about everything and basically reboot," Sanchez said.

Sanchez and Jay Bell, hired as Pirates hitting coach this offseason, connected in December around the same time Sanchez was in Pittsburgh for the Pirates Caravan. Bell stressed Sanchez's mentality -- an approach he took with most players when he first met them.

"The guys that end up having a degree of success are the guys that understand how to beat that guy on the mound mentally," Bell said.

Sanchez said he and Bell have a good working relationship because they embrace the same approach at the plate -- look for a fastball and drive it toward right-center field.

He also worked this offseason with University of Miami assistant baseball coach Lou Palmisano.

But even though Sanchez took a few months before he picked up a bat for the first time this offseason, he said he felt comfortable swinging all season long.

So far this spring, he has made opposing pitchers equally uncomfortable.


(post-gazette.com)

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles continued their hot spring start Friday afternoon, edging a split-squad Pirates club, 6-5, to improve to 6-1 in the Grapefruit League season.

Gaby Sanchez homered twice for Pittsburgh, both leadoff home runs, in the fourth and sixth innings off Mike Wright and Mark Hendrickson.

Orioles leadoff man Brian Roberts went 3-for-3, including a solo homer to start the game, in an encouraging sign for the injury-plagued second baseman.

Left fielder Nolan Reimold also hit his first spring homer, the first of a pair of long balls for the Orioles in the second inning. Reimold, who had last season cut short with neck surgery, only played two innings with his two-run, second-inning shot clearing the picnic area in left field. Wilson Betemit followed with a solo knock of his own, with all four of the runs charged to Pirates starter James McDonald.

Orioles starter Jason Hammel tossed two scoreless innings in his spring start, allowing one hit and striking out three.

"I made a goal for me in the offseason to be able to come out and pitch without a brace," said Hammel, who had a right knee injury that hampered him nearly all of last season. "So, check that one off the list.

"I can feel my lower half, it's not more of just trying to build momentum to get towards the plate because I didn't have the backside push. I felt outstanding."

Wright became the first Oriole to throw three innings this spring, and was charged with three runs, while Bucs righty Chris Leroux pitched two innings and allowed one unearned run after McDonald.


(mlb.com)

BRADENTON, Fla. — Clint Hurdle has used the phrase over and over again since his Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Gaby Sanchez at last season’s non-waiver trading deadline.

“He’s a special bat,” the Pirates manager says of the first baseman, who came from the Miami Marlins in a trade for outfield prospect Gorkys Hernandez on July 31.

It would be hard to tell that by the way Sanchez performed last season. Added in order to give the Pirates a boost in its efforts to win the National League Central title or one of the two wild cards, Sanchez instead became one of the reasons they had their 20th consecutive losing season.

Sanchez hit .241 with four home runs in 50 games following the trade. There was nothing special about those numbers.

However, Hurdle is convinced the Pirates made a good trade and Sanchez will help the Pirates this season.

“He’s in a good place physically now,” Hurdle said. “I don’t think he was in that good place last year.”

Sanchez underwent arthroscopic knee following the 2011 season in which he was the Marlins’ representative on the National League All-Star team and hit .266 with 19 homers. That was nearly identical to his 2010 rookie season when he had a .273 batting average and 19 homers.

“If we would have tried to trade for Gaby two years ago, we wouldn’t have any chance of getting him,” Hurdle said. “You have to buy low on a player like that. We didn’t get him when he was at his best but I think you’re going to see a different Gaby Sanchez this season.”

Sanchez, 29, feels optimistic that he can improve upon last season’s overall statistics. Between the Marlins and Pirates, he hit a combined .217 with seven home runs in 105 games.

“I was never 100 percent healthy, I never felt like I completely had my legs under me in my swing,” Sanchez said. “I got started really late on my workouts after the 2011 season because of the surgery. I didn’t show up to spring training in the best shape and I felt like I was trying to play catch up all year.”

And this spring?

“I feel great,” he said. “I’m ready to go.”

Sanchez is part of a six-man spring training competition for two starting spots — first base and right field — with Garrett Jones, who can play both positions, and outfielders Travis Snider, Jose Tabata, Alex Presley and Jerry Sands.

The most likely scenario has the right-handed hitting Sanchez starting at first against left-handed starting pitcher, Snider playing right against right-handers while Jones shuttles between the two positions.

“We’ll see how all it all shakes out but I have no doubt that Gaby can help our club,” Hurdle said. “I was very excited when we had the opportunity to trade him and nothing has happened since then that has changed my mind about him. I’m looking forward to seeing what a healthy Gaby Sanchez can do.”


(heraldstandard.com)

The Pirates and Gaby Sanchez avoided arbitration today by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million contract including performance bonuses, according to a tweet from Sanchez's agency, the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Sanchez, eligible for arbitration for the first time, earned $483,000 in 2012.

The Pirates still have three players -- Neil Walker, Garrett Jones and James McDonald -- eligible for arbitration. Today is the deadline for the teams and the players to exchange salary figures.

Sanchez, 29, will most likely platoon with Jones at first base and man the position when Jones plays right field. He had a .279 on-base percentage and hit seven home runs in 2012, when he joined the Pirates from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline.


(post-gazette.com)

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Gaby Sanchez arrived in Chicago to join his new team at the beginning of August. He had been a Pirate for eight days when the team went 16 games over .500.

Those eight days served as a preview to what could be. Sanchez then had to sit through the feature film: The disastrous second half that sent the team to a 20th consecutive sub-.500 season.

"We smelled it," Sanchez said. "We didn't get it, but we smelled it. It was within reach. We know what it's going to take to get there. We know where we faulted and what we had to do to have it not happen again."

Sanchez enters the 2013 season in a platoon at first base with the left-handed Garrett Jones. Last season, Jones played his best since 2009, his first year with the Pirates. Sanchez struggled enough with the Miami Marlins that they sent him to Class AAA, and though he performed better after coming to Pittsburgh -- he had a .720 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with the Pirates, .556 with Miami -- he finished the year with a .217 average, a .279 on-base percentage and seven home runs.

"If you had a good season, you remember it," Sanchez said. "If you didn't have a good season, you forget it very quickly. I don't really go back on what happened to me last year."

Sanchez spoke highly of the Pirates organization and said he has enjoyed his time as a part of it. Yet, like many athletes, he wants to seek out discomfort.

"When you're comfortable, that's when you're content," he said. "When you're content you never get better."

Except in the batter's box. Sanchez said he wanted to return to the swing and approach that he was familiar with and revert "back to how I hit."

Sanchez's brief experience with the version of the Pirates that contended for the National League wild-card spot enlightened him to the way the team responded when they slipped from contention.

"The guys never changed," he said. "And that's what you need."

Seven of the starting eight position players return this season, and Russell Martin will replace Rod Barajas behind the plate. The lineup showed it can keep pace with anyone in the league with its performance in June and July, and it displayed more power as well -- the Pirates hit 170 home runs in 2012, 63 more than 2011.

It also, however, showed weakness in the first two months of the season, where two runs per game were sometimes hard to come by.

"I feel like we have the pieces that we need to go out there and win," Sanchez said. "Last year we were right there."

Whether the pitching keeps pace with the offense remains uncertain. Depending on whether the Pirates can solve the riddle of Francisco Liriano, who injured his non-throwing arm in December before his two-year, $12.75 million contract with the Pirates became official, the rotation might feature two inexperienced starters. The bullpen lost a two-time All-Star selection in Joel Hanrahan, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox.

Sanchez's playing time depends on a number of factors. Jones also plays right field, but playing time there may be sparse because the Pirates want Travis Snider to play often. Jose Tabata also will take away playing time.

Jones' ineffectiveness against left-handed pitchers opens the door for Sanchez, but Clint Robinson and Jerry Sands, recently acquired in trades, could compete at first base as well. Because the five-man bench will include backup catcher Michael McKenry and utility man Josh Harrison, though, room for backup corner infielders will be scarce.

Sanchez started the quest to regain the swing that makes him feel comfortable at minicamp this week, joining a large contingent of the 40-man roster along with some non-roster invitees, the coaching staff, minor league coordinators, front office and scouting staff. Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 11, 30 days from today.
Sanchez said he believes the team did not transform when the wins became few and far between, leading to his belief that the team can compete again.

"It wasn't like there was any difference going on," he said. "We were having good [at-bats], we were doing what we need to do.

"Things didn't turn out how you want them to be and you look back and, OK, what changed? Well, nothing changed. We're still the same team."
Will that be enough? Those previews begin airing in a month.


(post-gazette.com)

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle described Gaby Sanchez as “in a good place physically.” He was discussing the health of his first baseman, but there is another meaning to that.

Sanchez, who joined the Pirates at the July trade deadline, is finally sound after dealing with knee problems and eventual surgery that affected his hitting since the middle of the 2011 season while playing for the Marlins.

Even though it meant leaving south Florida, where he spent his entire life, the 29-year-old Sanchez agreed he ended up in a better location, far removed from the distracting, circus atmosphere that contributed to the Marlins‘ 2012 implosion.

After dealing with incessant hype and attention focused on the club‘s name and venue changes, the Ozzie Guillen sideshow, an opulent, gimmicky new stadium and an off-season spending spree that went bust, Sanchez said he appreciates his new, drama-free surroundings.

“Being able to see one organization, and then another, it‘s great here,” he said. “It‘s easy to go to the ballpark every day.”

Sanchez was supposed to help staunch the type of collapse that ruined the 2011 season, but the job was too big. Platooning at first base with Garrett Jones, the right-handed hitting Sanchez hit .241 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 50 games for the Pirates.

That was somewhat better than his .202, three homers and 17 RBI in 55 games with the Marlins sandwiched around three weeks in the minors.

“It just happens,” he said. “That‘s the way baseball is.”

In November 2011, Sanchez had arthroscopic surgery to clean up a frayed patella tendon in his right knee. Rehab limited his workout routine “and I definitely wasn‘t as strong as I could be,” he said. “When I made contact with balls, even when I hit them good they weren‘t going like they had in years past. So this off-season, that‘s what I‘m getting back to. Get stronger.”

Hurdle said he has observed Sanchez working out at PNC Park, “and he‘s strong, he‘s injury-free and he still has a couple of months to work.”

Sanchez made the National League All-Star team in 2011, but that was tempered by a poor second half when his knee flared up and he played in pain. Although it altered his hitting mechanics, Sanchez never removed himself from the lineup.

“I‘m not the kind of person who just sits out and says, ‘I‘m not gonna play‘ just because my knee is hurting,” Sanchez said. “I know I can at least run and do those kinds of things.”

Sanchez said his play improved with the Pirates, a 3-for-29 finish notwithstanding.

“I felt like when I came here I was hitting the ball well,” he said. “I was making hard contact, I was taking at-bats deep into the count, I got back to what I did best. In the last six or seven games I was hitting the ball extremely well and I couldn‘t get lucky. Everything I was hitting was a line-out somewhere.”


(triblive.com)

Gaby Sanchez belted a pinch-hit, two-run homer in a losing effort against the Reds on Tuesday night.

With Garrett Jones enjoying a strong offensive season, Sanchez’s at-bats have been sporadic over the past month or so. He hit for the pitcher’s spot in the seventh inning of this one, and made the most of his chance by hammering a Mike Leake offering over the wall in left field. Sanchez is now hitting .222 with six homers and 25 RBI on the year.


(rotoworld.com)

Pittsburgh Pirates 1B Gaby Sanchez was getting in some work at third base Monday, Aug. 27. "You get reports and you read them, but you don't want to box people in; you want to move them around, actually put your eyes on them and work with them a little bit and see if you can stretch them in some areas a little bit," manager Clint Hurdle said.


(kffl.com)

CHICAGO -- The head of Gaby Sanchez, possibly the first Major League player ever traded while on paternity leave, finally stopped spinning when he arrived in the Pirates' clubhouse Wednesday morning.

"It's been a crazy couple of days. But one of those good things -- becoming a father and at the same time getting traded to a team playing really well in the hunt," said Sanchez, whose first child, Sky, was born on Friday. "I was in the hospital with the baby when everything was going on with the phone calls and all the other crazy stuff."

Sanchez served as Miami manager Ozzie Guillen's cleanup batter only twice this season, but had primarily swung in the four-hole during his 4 1/2 seasons with the Marlins.

"This team's been playing really well," Sanchez said. "Its great to be a part of it now."


(mlb.com)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pirates acquired former All-Star first baseman Gaby Sanchez from the Miami Marlins in a deal announced right before Tuesday's trade deadline.

Pittsburgh also got minor league pitcher Kyle Kaminska for minor league outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and the extra draft pick for 2013 that the Pirates won in the competitive balance lottery for financially weaker teams.

General manager Neal Huntington said the price to acquire a high-profile player for the rest of the season was too steep.

''We feel like overall we've improved our rotation, we've improved our lineup, we've improved our bench, and we'll work to put our bullpen in the same spot it was,'' Huntington said. ''The acquisition cost on every quote-unquote sure thing - which I will remind you, there is no sure thing - was prohibitive for us.''

''Short term rentals more often than not don't work out for the team that gives up the prospects,'' he added.

Pittsburgh, chasing Cincinnati for the NL Central title and doing well in the wild-card race, also obtained right-handed reliever Chad Qualls from the New York Yankees for infielder Casey McGehee on Tuesday, just before the 4 p.m. deadline for trades without waivers.

The Pirates also recently traded for left-handed starter Wandy Rodriguez and added outfielder Travis Snider in a deal with Toronto on Monday night.

The 28-year-old Sanchez was having a disappointing year. He was batting only .202 with three home runs and 17 RBIs, and had been demoted to Triple-A in May for nearly a month.

''We liked him the past two years,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ''We've inquired about him the past two winters and couldn't get close to him. You don't get players when they're going well.''

Sanchez hit 19 home runs in each of the previous two seasons and was an NL All-Star last year.

''Our scouts have seen the bat speed and the impact that we saw a year ago,'' Huntington said on a conference call. ''We've seen him start to use the middle of the field with authority. ... He is showing that he's performing well, and we see the elements behind it to justify the performance.''

Huntington said Snider would ''get the primary work load'' in right field, and that Qualls was added to fill the hole in the bullpen created when Brad Lincoln was sent to the Blue Jays in the deal.


(yahoosports.com)

If Gaby Sanchez plays in the majors again in 2012, it probably won’t be with the Miami Marlins. The Carlos Lee acquisition sent Sanchez back to Triple-A New Orleans, leaving his future with the organization nebulous at best.

Lee is a rental, so theoretically Sanchez could be back in Marlins spring training next February competing for his old job. Keeping him in the minors the rest of the season guarantees Sanchez would not become arbitration-eligible as a “Super Two.” The top 22 percent of players with between two and three years of service time qualifying for arbitration as Super Twos.

Sanchez’s service time is at 2 years, 134 days. That’s the precise cutoff for the next Super Two class, according to Creative Artists Agency’s (CAA) preseason estimation. Even if Sanchez has enough service time, players need to accrue at least 86 days the preceding season. Sanchez has totaled 72 this year.

If Sanchez somehow makes it back up and does qualify for arbitration, he wouldn’t be due a huge raise. Yet that money would be guaranteed whether Sanchez was in the majors or minors, so the Marlins probably would look to trade him or just not tender him a contract.


(sun-sentinel.com)

Gaby Sanchez not only lost his starting job in Wednesday afternoon’s Carlos Lee deal. He was also stripped of his major league roster spot.

According to beat writer Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, the Marlins optioned Sanchez down to Triple-A New Orleans less than 20 minutes after their 7-6 extra-innings victory over the Brewers.

The 28-year-old first baseman has posted a brutal .202/.250/.306 batting line with just three home runs and 17 RBI in 196 plate apperances this season. It’s a slump that dates back to the middle of the 2011 campaign.

Lee is going to serve as Miami’s starter at first base going forward — likely through the end of 2012.

Sanchez will have to impress on the farm in order to climb back up and claim a bench job in the second half.


(hardballtalk.com)

MIAMI (AP) - First baseman Gaby Sanchez was recalled Sunday from Triple-A New Orleans and he quickly gave the Miami Marlins' sputtering lineup a much-needed boost.

Sanchez went 1 for 4 with an RBI double against Tampa Bay, but the Marlins lost 4-2 and fell to 0-6 on their homestand.

Sanchez was batting .197 with one home run in 36 games when he was demoted May 19. In 19 games with New Orleans, Sanchez hit .310 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.

"I figured out a couple of little things, nothing too major,'' he said. "I was getting repetitions. That's it.''

Sanchez was an All-Star for the Marlins last year, but he said being demoted wasn't a shock.

"I wasn't producing like I should and like I have in the past, and so that's what happens,'' he said. "It's never what you've done in the past. It's what you're doing right now to help the team out. As ballplayers we know that, and it's something you can't get mad about.''

Sanchez rejoined a team that has gone 5 for 50 with runners in scoring position during its homestand.

"I've been watching the games on TV,'' Sanchez said. "The last couple of games have been tough, but that's going to happen. The team was on a roll there - just a couple of bad games in a row.''

With Sanchez back in the lineup, Logan Morrison moved from first base to left field. Miami made room on the roster for Sanchez by designating infielder Donnie Murphy for assignment Saturday.


(cnnsi.com)

MIAMI -- The 10-day waiting period to call Gaby Sanchez back up is Wednesday.

The Marlins optioned the first baseman to Triple-A New Orleans on May 20. By league rule, barring replacing someone who was placed on the disabled list, any player optioned must stay at least 10 days in the Minor Leagues before being brought back up.

"Needless to say, we're keeping our eye on him," Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. "We're tracking him every day and talking to our people. We want him to be confident and comfortable."

An All-Star in 2011, Sanchez has struggled at the big league level, batting .197 with one home run and 11 RBIs in 36 games.

Since being optioned, he's played in nine games with the Zephyrs, batting .300 (9-for-30) with a home run and four RBIs. Sanchez had an eight-game hitting streak going before he went 0-for-4 on Monday.

"Gaby has always hit," Beinfest said. "He hit pretty much immediately when he came to the Major Leagues. For him not to hit is a little bit off the tracks, and it's not something we anticipated. Let's get him really feeling good about himself and comfortable."

Logan Morrison has been playing first base since Sanchez was sent down.

"Logan is doing a fine job at first, and his bat looks like it's waking up a little bit," Beinfest said. "We'll just take it as a positive and do what we've got to do."


(mlb.com)

MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins have optioned Gaby Sanchez to Triple-A New Orleans.

The 28-year-old first baseman went 0-for-3 in Saturday afternoon’s loss to the Indians, dropping his already-hideous slash line to .197/.244/.295.
The Fish will hope that he can get his timing back against a lower level of competition at Triple-A.

Sanchez is a .263/.337/.427 career hitter in over 1,450 major-league plate appearances. He was named an All-Star in 2011 and finished the season with 19 home runs and 75 RBI.

Logan Morrison seems likely to move to first base while the Marlins wait for Sanchez to get himself right.


(hardballtalk.com)

MIAMI -- Gaby Sanchez has been searching for consistency at the plate all season. On Tuesday, the first baseman found himself out of the Marlins' lineup.

Greg Dobbs got the start at first in favor of Sanchez in the Marlins' series finale against the Pirates, but don't expect the change to be a long-term one. Manager Ozzie Guillen said the switch isn't permanent, and that he just wanted to get Dobbs, the Majors' active leader in pinch-hits, some regular at-bats to keep him sharp.

"Just play him today, get him some at-bats, put some at-bats together and give Gaby a break," Guillen said. "Gaby's swinging the bat a little bit better now. The last couple of games he's been swinging the bat a little bit better."

Sanchez, a career .269 hitter entering the year, has struggled this season. He is hitting just .198 with a .244 on-base percentage in 32 games. Sanchez has particularly struggled this month, hitting just .184 with two RBIs in 11 games.

"It is crazy, just because I know what type of player I am and what type of hitter I am, but it happens, I guess," Sanchez said. "Everybody has to go through it at one time or another, and there's a lot of guys right now in the league that are going through the same type of situations."

While a handful of other normally successful players have had trouble producing at the plate this season -- like the Angels' Albert Pujols (.197 with one home run and 12 RBIs) -- only one everyday first baseman in the National League is faring worse at the plate than Sanchez: Ike Davis. The Mets' first baseman is hitting .168 with a .227 on-base percentage in 34 games entering Tuesday.

But Sanchez isn't letting his slow start weigh too heavily on him. The last two seasons he has gotten off to fast starts on offense, only to tail off down the stretch. In 2010, he hit .307 through the first three months of the season, but hit .202 in his final 30 games. Last season he was hitting .322 when the calendar turned to June, but had just a .219 average in August and September.

"It's like they say: It's not how you start, it's how you finish," Sanchez said. "Maybe this is a different year: Start off slow and finish strong."


(mlb.com)

Remember how fans and media members spent the last two seasons wondering why Clinton Portis perpetually ran with two hands around the ball, hunched over, and willing to pitch forward for an extra half-yard rather than attempt to break outside for a touchdown? Yeah, that was deliberate.

“I mean, for an older running back, once you’ve been in this league you get wise enough to know every carry not gonna be the big one,” Portis said Tuesday on Sirius XM’s Late Hits with MJD. “You look at a young Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson and hard they run and how tough they run, play-in, play-out. That’s the early years. You know, I can look back at my highlights, and when I touched the ball I was running just as hard and just as fast. It was all-out. But at the end of the year, you’re still pounding out 1,500-1,800 yards.

“And I think for an older back, once you get wiser you know it’s moving the chains, protecting the ball, protecting yourself, staying on the field, and staying above 4 yards [per carry], trying to keep your average up to 4 and 5. You know, you get opportunities to go out and take a chance, but you put that ball out there and put it on the ground, now you’re prone, oh, fumbleitis.”

The thing is, moving the chains but not getting points seemed not to work for the Redskins. Anyhow, Portis then launched into a discussion of his role in the offense. Apparently, it wasn’t what he might have liked it to be.

“It’s kind of hard to go into the third quarter and you’ve got 6 or 7 carries and they’re like ok we’re gonna feature you now, and you’re like ‘We’ve got 2 quarters left. What you gonna do, give me the ball every play? We’re only gonna have a good 30 plays this half.’

“So it’s kind of frustrating. And I think you’ve just got to be strong enough to keep the mentality, stay focused. And I think for myself last year, [I was] battling with just the focus. It seemed like the last two years we wanted to throw the ball, and I was the designated sixth lineman, because all I did was block. And we’re running the ball for two plays, there was somebody else jogging onto the field. It was kind of frustrating, but I never really pouted or never got down, and always tried to help Torain and Keiland Williams out, tell ‘em whatever I could just to go out and win the game.

“I think they wanted to see my attitude change and didn’t want me to be selfish. I think you’ve got to play football with a selfish mentality. You know, it’s not about me and oh rah rah and look over here, but I think you want to feel as if you’re part of the game. You know, saying Jones-Drew going to go in the game and he gonna be ok with getting 12 carries or 15 carries? For myself, when I [asked for the ball] it’s oh, he’s selfish, he think he can do everything. Then when I say ‘Ok, I’m gonna play the role you want me to play,’ it’s like well he don’t care about what’s going on. So you can’t win.

“Basically you’ve got to have a selfish mentality and a selfish attitude, and just try to do whatever’s asked of you.”

Portis also said that his practice habits had frustrated Redskins coaches as far back as 2006, when Al Saunders arrived.

“I don’t think Al Saunders system fit me,” the back said. “I think me and Al kind of clashed when he was in D.C. I’m not sure he was a big fan of mine and the practice habits, but I think so many people formed an opinion and it became practice practice practice. When I wasn’t practicing, I was coming out producing 100 yards week in and week out, and all of a sudden it turned to I give you everything during the week, and then I get banged up the last two years after practicing every day in practice.”

Click here to order Clinton Portis’ proCane Rookie Card.


(washingtonpost.com)

Comments

PHILADELPHIA -- Anibal Sanchez took a three-hitter into the seventh, Omar Infante hit a pair of solo homers and the Miami Marlins spoiled the Philadelphia Phillies' home opener with a 6-2 victory on Monday afternoon.

Sanchez (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings, outpitching two-time All-Star Cole Hamels (0-1).

Gaby Sanchez had two hits and two RBIs, Emilio Bonifacio had three hits and Austin Kearns hit a solo shot off Jonathan Papelbon.

Missing Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the middle of their lineup, the Phillies continued to struggle offensively. They've scored eight runs and are off to a 1-3 start.


(miamiherald.com)

CINCINNATI -- The crowd at Marlins Park gave Gaby Sanchez a rousing ovation on Opening Night during the pregame introductions. The Marlins’ homegrown first baseman hopes the cheering continues all the way to the end of the season.

That’s because Sanchez is out to prove that his second-half slumps the past two seasons — his first two full seasons in the majors — have been aberrations and not some inherent deficiency.

“I felt like I came into last year a little better prepared for it,” Sanchez said. “And this year I feel a little more prepared.”

In 2010, Sanchez hit .302 the first half of the season but only .237 the second half. In 2011, Sanchez hit .293 the first half of the season and landed on the All-Star team but tailed off again in the second half, hitting just .228.

Sanchez said there are explanations for both, neither of which are related.

Because 2010 was his first full season in the majors, Sanchez said he was “just trying to teach my body how 160-something games was.” In other words, he wore down a bit from the fatigue of the long grind.

Last season?

“Last year was tough because I was dealing with some things in my knee, but I felt like I was still hitting the ball well,” Sanchez said of his second-half struggles. “I just was not getting hits. It’s just one of those things that’s baseball. You’re going to go through streaks in baseball where you’re hitting the ball good and not getting any hits out of it.”

Sanchez points out that while his batting average declined, his strikeout rate remained unchanged and his walk rate increased slightly.

“That means I was seeing the ball well and having good [at-bats],” he said. “Definitely, the power numbers weren’t there [in the second half] because I couldn’t hit off my back side.”

But Sanchez said his knee issues are behind him.

He popped an opposite-field home run in the first of two exhibition games against the New York Yankees and has one of the team’s seven hits — a double on Thursday in Cincinnati.

The former University of Miami star is also developing into a fan favorite as evidenced by the ovation he received Wednesday.

Only new manager Ozzie Guillen and new shortstop Jose Reyes received appreciably louder applause.

“I think it just shows that I’m a hometown guy, and I think Miami wants their hometown guy to succeed,” said Sanchez, who was born and raised in Miami.

“It was nice. It was definitely a nice way to start things off.”


(miamiherald.com)

MIAMI— The home run wasn't devoid of significance, but Gaby Sanchez applied the proper dose of perspective. His second-inning blast off CC Sabathia on Sunday was the first ever in a Marlins Park game between big league clubs — albeit an exhibition.

For the Miami-born and raised Sanchez, his first Grapefruit League homer was not enough for the Marlins to overcome the New York Yankees. They scored two in the ninth for a 10-8 victory in the first of two dress rehearsals before Wednesday's official Marlins Park premier.

"It's always nice to hit a home run," Sanchez said. "It doesn't matter when it is. Being in the new stadium, playing against a major league team and doing it definitely felt good, but it's still spring training."

Hanley Ramirez hit the first Marlins homer in the new park during last month's exhibition against the University of Miami. The following night, Emilio Bonifacio put one over the wall against Florida International.

Sunday's contest didn't have a spring training feel until regulars on both sides began trickling out midway through. The Marlins made 25,000 tickets available, all of which were sold. Monday night's capacity is capped at 30,000.


(sun-sentinel.com)

Around the 40-second mark, Marlins 1B Gaby Sanchez almost tumbles of the back of a golf cart after taking infield drills at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. Gaby, trying to settle in to the back seat, wasn't aware that bench coach Joey Cora was about to hit the pedal. No one was hurt. Everyone got a laugh.

JUPITER — Gaby Sanchez became so annoyed with the reaction to the Marlins' pursuit of free agent Albert Pujols this winter that he insulated himself from the chatter.

Sanchez, Miami's All-Star first baseman, began ignoring the phone calls and text messages and then started preparing to start another chapter in his career if a deal was struck.

"I had to stop paying attention to it because people were like, 'I can't believe they're doing this' (and) 'What are you going to do now?' ' Sanchez said.

Sanchez, the Miami native who spent his college career at the University of Miami, knew that adding Pujols meant he would be traded to make room for the game's most dominant player of the last decade.

But finally, after more than a week of rumors and reports, Pujols agreed to leave the St. Louis Cardinals for the Los Angeles Angels.
"I was like, 'Thank you,' ' Sanchez said.

Sanchez, 28, is coming off his second consecutive season in which he played more than 150 games, had more than 570 at-bats, hit better than .265 and belted 19 home runs. He represented the Marlins in the All-Star Game, his first appearance.

Still, with the Marlins deciding to open the vault preceding their move into their new stadium, their ambitions included trying to sign a player who eventually received a 10-year deal worth $254 million.

"I'm OK with that," Sanchez said. "If was a GM, if I was running the Marlins, I would have done the same thing.

"I was pretty sure I was going to be playing somewhere. Hopefully it was going to be with the Marlins. If it wasn't, if that wasn't my path, I would go somewhere else."

But Sanchez's path his entire career has been through South Florida. His family and friends watched him at UM. His parents, Remberto and Iliana, and his wife, Judy, sat behind home plate at Sun Life Stadium and now will do so at Marlins Park in Little Havana.

How different it would have been had Sanchez been preparing to take the field this spring in St. Louis or Chicago or Baltimore or any other major league city.

"It's part of the business," Remberto Sanchez said. "We were all wanting for Gaby to stay here but you never know what's best."

Still, Dad was glad that Pujols went elsewhere.

"I didn't think the Marlins needed a first baseman," Remberto said with a laugh.

Sanchez won't have to get to know a whole new team, but he will need to become familiar with a new shortstop, Jose Reyes, and a novice third baseman.

The signing of Reyes forced Hanley Ramirez to move from shortstop to third base, a position he has played in three games (all in the minors) in his 10 years as a professional.

"That's what spring training is for," Sanchez said. "Most of it is going to be the angle of their arm and the way they throw. See what kind of movement they have on the ball.

"That's all going to be learned during spring training. Once the season starts it's going to be like we played together our whole lives."


(palmbeachpost.com)

JUPITER -- Ryan Braun said publicly Friday what he has been privately telling Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez, his friend and former University of Miami teammate, for months: that he was “wrongly accused” over a positive drug test.

“I am the victim of a process that completely broke down and failed,” Braun said one day after his 50-game suspension was overturned on appeal. A panel of arbitrators ruled in favor of Braun, who said he has been vindicated after it was shown that the person who collected his urine sample, which later tested positive for a high level of testosterone, took it home and kept it for two days before mailing it immediately to a drug-testing lab.

The outcome came as no surprise to Sanchez, who said he always felt certain that his friend did nothing wrong. Sanchez, who talks frequently with Braun, said the Milwaukee Brewers’ superstar has been adamant that he did not commit any infractions.

“I believed him 100 percent when he told me he didn’t do it,” Sanchez said shortly before Braun held a news conference in Arizona to tell his side of the story. “He would have told me [if had violated the drug policy]. He’s the type of person who would have come out and said, ‘Hey, I screwed up. I did wrong. I’m sorry to everybody.’

“But as soon as it happened, I got a text message from him saying that, ‘This is idiotic. This is ridiculous. I didn’t do anything.’ ’’

Braun learned Oct. 19 his sample was positive for elevated testosterone, which he said was at a ratio that was the highest ever recorded in baseball’s testing program. The positive tests, had it stood up, would have caused him be suspended for the first 50 games of the season.
ESPN reported the positive test in December.

Braun, who was voted the National League’s Most Valuable Player last season, criticized the media for leaking the positive test.

“My name has been dragged through the mud as everything I’ve ever worked for in my life has been called into question,” he said.

Arbitrator Shyam Das threw out Braun’s ban on Thursday, making it the first time that a player has successfully challenged a drug-related violation. MLB executive vice president Rob Manfred said management “vehemently disagrees” with Das’ decision.

‘FATALLY FLAWED’
Braun said that, because of the delay sending his sample to a lab, the testing was “fatally flawed.”

“I don’t honestly know what happened to it in that 44-hour period,” he said.

Sanchez and Marlins catcher John Buck, who also serves as the team’s union representative, said that the testing procedure needs to be reexamined.

“The procedure has to change,” Sanchez said. “No one ever thought before, are they able to do stuff with these [samples]? Is someone able to contaminate the product?

“We didn’t think about that. We didn’t know that somebody could keep it for two days, either.”

Said Buck: “As a player, I definitely want that looked into.”

AWARE OF SKEPTICS
Braun said he’s fully aware that, despite prevailing with his appeal, there will continue to be skeptics who think he cheated and got away with it on a technicality.

“I’m not dumb enough to pretend that this is going to go away,” he said.

But Braun said he “didn’t gain a single pound” or “get a tenth of a second faster” or “get one percent stronger” during the course of last season when he was monitored regularly. He also said he passed three drug tests over the course of the regular season.

“I would bet my life that this substance never entered my body,” he said. “We won because the truth is on my side.”

This report was supplemented with material from Miami Herald wire services.


(miamiherald.com)

Caught an episode of Clubhouse Confidential on MLB Network Friday. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it takes an analytical look at the news of the day and other topics using non-traditional stats. It’s great for fans that want to familiarize themselves with sabermetric stuff.

One of the areas they covered was leadoff hitting. In addition to discussing what type of offensive player should be leading off, host Brian Kenny pointed out some guys in the game that should be batting first and others that shouldn’t. A couple of Marlins came up. Kenny’s quote: “[Gaby] Sanchez, not Jose Reyes, is a better leadoff candidate for the Marlins this year.”

Seems odd, right? Reyes after all is a prototypical leadoff man in the eyes of most baseball fans. Not so says Clubhouse Confidential because he has too much power. According to The Book: Playing the Percentage in Baseball, a leadoff man logs 36 percent of his plate appearances with the bases empty. That figure for the No. 2 hitter increase to 44 percent. For third and fourth hitters, 48 percent and 51 percent, respectively.

Based on that, teams that have a power hitter in the leadoff spot aren’t maximizing that pop. Reyes in 2011 slugged a career high .493 thanks in part to a league-leading 16 triples. He also totaled 31 doubles and seven homers. What the show didn’t mention is even after last season Reyes’ career slugging percentage is .441, which makes him a little more palatable as a leadoff man based on the aforementioned premise.

The other big stat for leadoff men is on-base percentage, a component of which is walks. Top of the order hitters come up with no outs in 48 percent of their plate appearances.The two through four spots are 33 percent, 28 percent and 34 percent, respectively. That means a walk is as good as a hit for leadoff men. Ideally, you want your leadoff man to draw a base on balls in 10 percent or better of his plate appearances.

Although Reyes had a .384 on-base percentage in 2011, his walk rate was 7.3 percent, raising his career average to 6.9 percent. Clubhouse Confidential tells us Reyes has too much power and doesn’t walk enough to hit first. Their alternative: Sanchez.

Sanchez had a .352 on-base percentage, walked in 11.2 percent of his plate appearances and slugged .427. Again, Clubhouse Confidential didn’t take into account the numbers from his 2010 rookie season (.341 on-base, .448 slugging and 8.9 percent walk rate).

One player the show did not mention was Emilio Bonifacio, who likely will bat first this season. Bonifacio had a breakout season in 2011, reaching base at a .360 clip and walking in 9.2 percent of his plate appearances. He doesn’t hit for power, plus he is a prolific base stealer, so I was surprised Clubhouse Confidential didn’t identify him as a better leadoff candidate than either Reyes or Sanchez.

From Twitter comments I’ve received, plenty of Marlins fans aren’t sold on Bonifacio. Manager Jack McKeon really got him playing with confidence last season. Bonifacio taking half a step back in 2012 wouldn’t surprise me. His batting average on balls in play last season was .372. In 2009, his BABIP was .312 and in 2010 it was .333. Anything much higher or lower than .300 suggests that player will see a regression or a rebound.

My Opening Night batting order: Bonifacio, Reyes, Ramirez, Stanton, Morrison, Sanchez, Buck, Infante, Johnson.


(sun-sentinel.com)

The hardest part for Gaby Sanchez wasn't so much the Marlins trying to replace him with Albert Pujols.

It wasn't the prospect of losing his dream job with his hometown team to a future Hall of Fame first baseman.

Instead, it was those few days in early December when his cell phone nearly blew up as those Pujols rumors raged.

"It just got annoying with the phone calls and the texts," Sanchez said during the Marlins Caravan this week in preparation for spring training. "People were like, 'I can't believe they're doing this,' and, 'Oh, what are you going to do now?' "

On those rare occasions when Sanchez did answer the phone or hit the reply key, his responses were pretty much what you'd expect from the unassuming all-star.

Angry at the Marlins? No way.

Even if they never got around to giving him a heads-up about their plans.

"There was no tipoff," Sanchez said. "But if you looked at any type of media, if you looked at SportsCenter one time, you knew the Marlins were going after him. I knew it. Everybody else knew it. It wasn't a shock to me."

This isn't Hanley Ramirez struggling to accept a position move 50 feet to his right.

Sanchez, the former University of Miami standout, completely understood the Marlins' rationale.

"You're talking about one of the best players in baseball," Sanchez said. "If I was running the Marlins, I would have done the same thing. I would have gone after Pujols also."

For a few days there, it appeared the Marlins might actually stuff Phat Albert into their overflowing basket.

It was looking like the two-time World Series champion might have just two choices for his services: a surprisingly modest offer from the Cardinals and a 10-year, $201 million offer from the Marlins.

As the winter meetings unfolded and the constant updates came rolling out of Dallas, Sanchez was left to ponder his future.

He figured he would have a job somewhere in 2012. He just didn't know where.

Maybe it would be St. Louis, where he'd have the unenviable challenge of following a legend.

Maybe the Cubs. Or the Nationals.

It wasn't like Sanchez would have much say. The Marlins still held his rights, so when it came time to flip him, the 28-year-old would just have to accept his new workplace.

"I just had to realize it's a business," Sanchez said. "The Marlins are going to go after who they feel is going to help the team win and who is going to be more beneficial than what I can do."

What Sanchez can do is pretty good in its own right.


(sun-sentinel.com)

Marlins president David Samson briefed reporters today on a variety of topics, from the health of Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson to the team’s plans for Yoenis Cespedes and Juan Carlos Oviedo.

But the most amusing item Samson shared had to do with the two aquariums behind home plate.

The tanks are installed, with water and coral decorations, and fish will be added in the middle of February.

Two layers of thick glass surround the tanks, but the Marlins wanted to make extra sure that no foul ball or wild pitch would crack the tanks or affect the fish.

That’s where first baseman Gaby Sanchez comes in. He was asked to visit Marlins Park two weeks ago with a simple mission — fire a baseball as hard as you can against the tanks.

“We just did a test on that,” Samson said.

“We had Gaby sanchez here and he threw a ball as hard as he could against the tank and hit didn’t even make a mark and nothing moved inside the tank. We have an extra layer of glass in front of the glass that’s in front of the fish.

“No ball will (damage) the tank, as fast as Gaby threw it, that’s for sure.”


(palmbeachpost.com)

Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez will participate in Jon Jay’s Celebrity Bowling Challenge on Jan. 28 at Lucky Strike Lanes in Miami Beach.
Jay, an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, is good friends with Sanchez. Both are from Miami and both attended the University of Miami.

“Me and Gaby have a little competitive streak in us,” Jay said. “We’re always going at it, so I’m going to try to out-bowl him, for sure.”

Also helping Jay will be Padres 1B Yonder Alonso, Blue Jays C J.P. Arencibia, Nationals P Gio Gonzalez, Cardinals IF Tyler Greene, Royals 1B Eric Hosmer, Nationals 1B Michael Morse, Indians P Chris Perez and Twins 3B Danny Valencia.

Tickets are $100 for a person and $450 for a team. Proceeds will go to the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.

Sanchez did some charity work on Wednesday when he appeared at the Ronald McDonald House of Miami.


(palmbeachpost.com)

The Chicago Cubs would likely pursue Miami Marlins 1B Gaby Sanchez if the Marlins signed free-agent 1B Albert Pujols (Cardinals).





(kffl.com)

As further evidence of the Marlins’ improved defense in 2011, two of their infielders are finalists for a Rawlings Gold Glove award.

Neither first baseman Gaby Sanchez not second baseman Omar Infante is a favorite, but being included among the top three at their position in their circuit is a worthy accomplishment nonetheless. A vote of league managers and coaches determine the awards, which will be revealed Tuesday at 10 p.m. during a one-hour telecast on MLB Network.

Sanchez is up against Joey Votto and James Loney. Albert Pujols and Adrian Gonzalez, who moved to the American League, and ex-Marlin Derrek Lee combined to win seven of the last eight NL awards at first base. Lee opened the season with the Orioles before a trade sent him to the Pirates.


(sun-sentinel.com)

MIAMI -- Along with being a leader in the clubhouse, Gaby Sanchez also is among the most active Marlins in the community.

The 28-year-old All-Star first baseman is known for being a hard worker on the field. With his free time, the Miami native proudly supports South Florida.

Sanchez gives his time to the Marlins Community Foundation, assisting in their fund-raising efforts. He's taken interest in the organization's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program, as well as the Challenger and Miracle Leagues.

Miracle Leagues holds a special place in Sanchez's heart, as he is touched by helping bring smiles to the faces of disadvantaged children.
"When I was in Double-A, it was the first time I got to go to a Miracle League field, and just to see these kids' faces," Sanchez said. "There is a certain joy that those kids get, and it just lifts you."

Sanchez's community involvement has earned him the distinction of being the Marlins' nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award.
All 30 nominees have immersed themselves in the type of humanitarian and community efforts that distinguished the life of Clemente, a life that ended at age 38 on New Year's Eve, 1972, when the plane he was using to deliver aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims crashed.

Fans will once again have the opportunity to participate in the selection of the national winner. They can cast votes for any of the 30 club nominees through Oct. 9.

The fan-ballot winner will be tallied as one vote among those cast by a special selection panel of baseball dignitaries and media members. The panel includes Commissioner Bud Selig and Vera Clemente, widow of the Hall of Fame right fielder.

Voting fans also will be automatically registered for a chance to win a trip for four to the 2011 World Series to see the national winner presented with the Roberto Clemente Award.

Sanchez says being active in the community is part of being a big leaguer.

"It's just something that I feel like we all have to do," Sanchez said. "Just giving back. No matter what it is, doing little camps here, doing things with fans and people. It's something they enjoy so much, you don't want to take that away from them."

Sanchez was the Marlins' lone All-Star representative this year. The first baseman also enjoyed a strong 2010 season, when he was fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Sanchez attended the University of Miami and has repeatedly taken part in charitable events in South Florida.

He's played in the annual "Marlins Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament" and attended "The Annual Awards Dinner."

Each year, prior to the start of Spring Training, he participates in the club's annual caravan week. This year, he was a central figure in the "Caravan for the Troops," which raised nearly $250,000 for the Marlins Community Foundation.

The caravan tour involved Sanchez in charitable softball and Wiffle Ball games with those in the armed services at the Homestead Air Force base as well as the USSC base.

He also was part of the contingent who visited the USS Jason Dunham and toured the vessel with the crew. And he traveled Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba to visit the troops stationed there.

"Whenever you can get any type award, no matter what it is, it's something special," Sanchez said. "But something that has [Roberto Clemente's] name on it, it means a lot to a lot of players in baseball. It's just an honor."


(mlb.com)

“Inside the Marlins: Gaby Sanchez” premieres on Saturday, August 27 at 10:30 p.m. immediately following the Marlins at Phillies game on FOX Sports Florida.

FOX Sports Florida’s sixth episode of “Inside the Marlins” profiles Marlins All-Star first baseman and Miami native Gaby Sanchez.

"Inside The Marlins" takes viewers into the life of Gaby Sanchez, beginning with his tenure at Brito Private High School where he helped his team win two state titles, before becoming the starting third baseman at the University of Miami for two seasons. Sanchez was drafted by the Marlins in the fourth round of the 2005 draft.

Viewers will learn about Sanchez’s path to the big leagues. The slugger’s first year in professional baseball with the Marlins Class A Short Season affiliate Jamestown Jammers was wildly successful earning the New York-Penn League batting title as well as been named the MVP of the All Star Game.

Sanchez moved up to the majors in September, 2008, after winning Southern League MVP honors that year. He became a full-time major leaguer in 2010, and was decidedly in the running for National League Rookie of the Year. In 2011, Sanchez was named to the National League All Star team for the 82nd annual mid-summer classic held in Arizona.

The show allows viewers to see Sanchez away from the field, as he tours the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Dunham. Sanchez is always willing to make appearances around his hometown to promote his team and the game of baseball.

“Inside the Marlins” features interviews with Gaby Sanchez, his father Remberto, his mother Ileana, his brother Remberto, Jr., his wife Judy, his high school coach Ralph Suarez, his college coach Jim Morris and his college teammate and current St. Louis Cardinal John Jay.

“Inside the Marlins” is hosted and produced by Frank Forte.

AIRDATES ON FOX SPORTS FLORIDA: 8/27, 10:30pm; 8/28, 5:00pm; 8/31, 10:30pm; 9/2, 10:30pm; 9/3, 9:00am; 9/5, 10:30pm; 9/7, 2:00pm; 9/9, 10:30pm; 9/13, 10:30pm; 9/20 2:00pm and 6:00pm; 9/21, 10:30pm; 9/26, 10:30pm; 9/28, 7:30pm


(foxsportsflorida.com)

Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins: One of the hottest hitters of the first two months of the season -- he ranked 11th in batting average (.322) among those with 150-plus plate appearances and 19th in RBIs (35) -- Sanchez's bat has cooled considerably since. He regressed to the level of mere mixed-league corner infielder/NL-only option in June and July, turning in so-so .250-7-23 numbers in 52 games, and in August has slipped to .122/.200/.143 rates in 14 games. As has always been true in his big league career, he remains more of a lefty masher (.315/.391/.526 lifetime rates against them) who has ordinary stats against righties (.257/.328/.420). The latter numbers are league-average at best from a first baseman, meaning Sanchez's matchups, on a daily and weekly basis, need be carefully considered from this point forward.



(espn.com)

DENVER -- Sometimes not changing anything is the best change a hitter can make.

Gaby Sanchez is going through one of those rough months, batting .098 through his first 12 games in August. The Marlins' All-Star first baseman is in a 4-for-41 spell.

As frustrating as the month has been, the Florida first baseman is upbeat and taking solace in the fact he has been hitting the ball hard of late without any luck. He estimates about eight line-drive outs during the Marlins' 1-9 homestand.

So his approach as the road trip begins is to stay the course.

"Last game, it got to the point where I was like, 'I don't know what else to do,'" said Sanchez, who is batting .269 with 16 homers and 62 RBIs on the season. "What you do is you stay right there. There is nothing you can do when you hit the ball at people. If you start to stress about it, and you start to go away from what you've been doing, then you go down further."

During the series with the Giants, Sanchez had a brief conversation with Cody Ross about his slump. Sanchez actually lined out to Ross in the ninth inning on Sunday.

"I am hitting the ball well," Sanchez said. "It's not like I'm going down there every AB and striking out or grounding the ball to the pitcher. I am hitting the ball well, but right at people. I was talking to Cody. He was like, 'Keep swinging.'"

Sanchez was arguably the Marlins' steadiest player in the first half. Right now, he is battling through a rough stretch.

"It's such a frustrating sport," he said. "You can do everything right and still not get anything out of it. It's frustrating. It stinks. It's just the way the game is. Nothing you can do about it but put your head down and go forward.

"I feel like it's on the verge of just going off again. You're going to have your peaks and valleys in seasons. You have to do the best you can to reduce the valley. You're always going to have it. You're not going to have a season where you are raking all year. Nobody does that. You have to understand that."



(flamarlins.com)

MIAMI -- Hard work and dedication are two key ingredients to success in any profession.

Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez is one of the hardest working players on the team, and manager Jack McKeon believes that work ethic is a big reason why Sanchez has made such huge strides defensively this season.

"He listens and he works," McKeon said. "You've got a guy who really wants to improve himself, and Gaby is one of those kinds of guys."

Sanchez was a third baseman in college before being drafted as a catcher in 2005. He finally ended up at first base, but was not very good there initially. All that has changed, thanks in part to Marlins infield coach Perry Hill.

"Perry Hill is one of the best infield instructors around the game, and he's done a remarkable job with Sanchez," McKeon said.

Sanchez committed 11 errors in 2010, but he has cut that number down to four this season. What might be most impressive is how many plays he has made that have saved runs.

"Fifty percent difference or maybe 100 percent difference," McKeon said of how much Sanchez has improved. "He's been working diligently with Perry. He's improved a lot over there with how he fields the ball and how he sets his feet in position."

Having managed three-time Gold Glove Award winner Derrek Lee, McKeon knows what an excellent defensive first baseman could do for a team, and he feels Sanchez is headed in that direction.

"Perry takes him out on a regular basis and turned him into an outstanding first baseman," McKeon said. "He's saved a lot of runs. He's not Derrek Lee, but he's getting there."



(marlins.com)

Gaby Sanchez, Florida - The number pre- and post-All Star break are stunning. Sanchez batted .293 with 13 HR, 50 RBI and had an OPS of 0.846 before the "Summer Classic" and he's batting just .213 with three homers and 12 RBI since the break. I'm not sure whether it is related to the Marlins' change of hitting coaches or his battling a tight hamstring, but something has happened. You should not be starting Sanchez at this point.


(sportsnetwork.com)

Gaby Sanchez currently leads all NL first basemen with a .997 fielding percentage. Sanchez has not made an error in his last 28 games. The Marlins have never had a first baseman lead the NL in fielding.




(fishstripes.com)

WASHINGTON -- The Marlins scored 18 runs in their first two games at Nationals Park without their No. 3 hitter, and they had to go without first baseman Gaby Sanchez again in the series finale Thursday.

Manager Jack McKeon kept Sanchez out of the lineup for the third consecutive game against Washington as the All-Star nurses a sore left hamstring.

"We'll evaluate him and see how he is, "McKeon said. "But if we keep winning, we'll keep him out.

"Let's be cautious, because I'd rather have him out for three or four days than two weeks."

Sanchez took swings in the batting cage before the game as he continues to head in the right direction. Greg Dobbs started the first two games in his stead, and Wes Helms got the start in the series finale against Nationals left-hander John Lannan.


(mlb.com)

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Gaby Sanchez had started every game this season for the Marlins, but that streak ended Tuesday when he felt some discomfort in his left hamstring while working out before the game at Nationals Park and was pulled from the lineup.

"He said he had a hamstring [that] was pulling, so I said, 'Well, take the day off,' " Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. "I hate to get him out of there when he is hitting good."

McKeon said after Tuesday's 11-2 win over the Nationals that Sanchez will also be out of Wednesday's lineup.

Greg Dobbs, who replaced Sanchez, had a career-high five RBI Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with a home run.

"I am not changing," McKeon said about Wednesday's lineup. "Works out perfect. We can give Gaby an extra day."

In his last three games Sanchez, who is hitting .287, had three home runs and five RBI. Sanchez had started 101 games at first base and one as designated hitter, and was the only Marlin to have started every game.

"Knowing him, he never wants to get out of the lineup, so it is probably not feeling good," McKeon said.

"Just taking a day," Sanchez said after the lineup was changed. "That is all I have to say."

Dobbs said Sanchez told him his hamstring was bothering him before working out Tuesday, and then, after hitting in the batting cage, he told Dobbs he probably wouldn't be playing.


(sun-sentinel.com)

Gaby Sanchez provided the Marlins with insurance runs in the seventh. Bonifacio started the two-out rally with a single that squeaked past shortstop Jose Reyes, and he stole second base — Bonifacio’s 21st steal of the season matched a career high set in 2009. After Infante reached on an infield single, with Bonifacio scoring on a subsequent error, Sanchez launched a high fly ball over the left-field wall for his second home run of the game. Sanchez last hit multiple home runs in a game against Tampa Bay on June 11, 2010.

“It doesn’t matter when you have it, it’s always nice to have a game like this,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez provided almost all the offense starter Clay Hensley needed. In his second start of the year and his second since returning from the disabled list, Hensley turned in a solid effort, pitching five strong innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking four and striking out two.

“I felt pretty good,” said Hensley, who was the first Marlins pitcher in the past five games to get through the first inning unscathed. “Only thing I can take away from this one I think is just to try to limit the walks.”


(miamiherald.com)

NEW YORK -- After a torrid first two months to the season, Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez has cooled off considerably.

Manager Jack McKeon said the team's hitting coach, Eduardo Perez, is working with Sanchez to get him back on track.

"He was the one guy that was really carrying us before I got here," manager Jack McKeon said. "Since I got here, the other guys have picked up. That'd be nice if he jumps in there. That would be really a plus."

During the first two months of the season, Sanchez batted .322 with a .921 on-base plus slugging percentage. In June and half of July, Sanchez is batting just .232 with a .684 OPS. Despite his recent struggles, McKeon is confident Sanchez will be able to get back to his earlier form.

"It's just a matter of time," McKeon said. "Guys go in a rut, then they figure things out."


(mlb.com)

Gaby Sanchez appreciated the encouragement from ex-hitting coach John Mallee and others. He dismissed it to a certain degree, but Sanchez appreciated it nonetheless.

He didn't roll his eyes at everything, just the All-Star stuff. Sanchez looked around the league and figured he had a better shot getting there on the merits of being his team's emergency third catcher.

The guy in St. Louis is a future Hall of Famer. The one in Milwaukee is on the verge of a monopoly money contract. Cincinnati has the reigning Most Valuable Player at first base. Philadelphia's guy is among the game's top power hitters.

When Mallee said he wouldn't be surprised to see him in Phoenix this week, Sanchez, in spite of his outstanding numbers, laughed it off.

"I was like, 'It doesn't matter what I do,' " Sanchez said. "There are too many. There are four guys there that just mash and play good defense, and are great ballplayers. It's one of those things I never even thought about because it's kind of out there so far."

Not only can Sanchez say he's an All-Star, he can say he made it when Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Joey Votto and Ryan Howard dominated the position. Sanchez is the Marlins' lone representative in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Chase Field. No Marlin first baseman could boast an All-Star nod until now.

Mallee reassured Sanchez the league knew how good he was. Don't count Sanchez among those who weren't surprised at the selection.

"Even when they called me, it was a surreal feeling," Sanchez said. "I was like, 'Wow, this is really happening.' I thought Anibal [Sanchez] was having a great year, and in my mind he was going to be the one to get it. … Of course, you continue to do anything, you always have a chance. Now I got that and it can never be taken away from me."

His baseball-reference.com page will forever have the All-Star banner displayed above his career starts, and deservedly so. The Marlins sat at 10 games over .500 after 50 games, in large part because of how Sanchez anchored the offense.

He followed up a .293 April average with a .345 mark in May. Though Sanchez slowed in June, along with the rest of his teammates, he remains on pace to eclipse last year's totals for doubles, homers and RBI.

"He's been pretty consistent, being a big RBI guy and keeping us in ballgames," manager Jack McKeon said. "Early part of the year, watching the games on TV, I thought he was the key guy. He was always delivering the clutch blows. Now he's getting some help."

Whether Sanchez would become a cornerstone for his hometown team at times was speculative. He was a high enough draft pick (fourth round) out of the University of Miami and always was regarded among the organization's better prospects. Yet Sanchez had unsuccessful auditions at catcher and third base before finally settling in at first.

Even after the Marlins traded Mike Jacobs in October 2008 and opened the way for Sanchez, questions remained about his long-term viability. The younger, higher-ceilinged Logan Morrison was a level behind.

Sanchez did his part to make sure it wasn't an either/or situation. He had an outstanding rookie season in 2010, prompting the Marlins to move Morrison to left field.

"I knew I could do it," Sanchez said. "There's was nothing in my head saying I couldn't. I knew I could play at this level and be successful at some point, and try to help the ballclub win. I knew the time would come. I had to tell myself not to get frustrated. The time would come where I had the opportunity to show what I had and just be me and play."


(sun-sentinel.com)

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

2011 MLB proCane All Stars Gaby Sanchez and Ryan Braun take a photo together as they enjoy the 2011 MLB HR Derby. Ryan Braun sat out the HR Derby and All Star Game due to a calf injury. It was Gaby Sanchez’s first All Star Game.





(twitter.com)

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

Gaby Sanchez appreciated the encouragement from ex-hitting coach John Mallee and others. He dismissed it to a certain degree, but Sanchez appreciated it nonetheless.

He didn't roll his eyes at everything, just the All-Star stuff. Sanchez looked around the league and figured he had a better shot getting there on the merits of being his team's emergency third catcher.

The guy in St. Louis is a future Hall of Famer. The one in Milwaukee is on the verge of a monopoly money contract. Cincinnati has the reigning Most Valuable Player at first base. Philadelphia's guy is among the game's top power hitters.

When Mallee said he wouldn't be surprised to see him in Phoenix this week, Sanchez, in spite of his outstanding numbers, laughed it off.

"I was like, 'It doesn't matter what I do,' " Sanchez said. "There are too many. There are four guys there that just mash and play good defense, and are great ballplayers. It's one of those things I never even thought about because it's kind of out there so far."

Not only can Sanchez say he's an All-Star, he can say he made it when Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Joey Votto and Ryan Howard dominated the position. Sanchez is the Marlins' lone representative in Tuesday's All-Star Game at Chase Field. No Marlin first baseman could boast an All-Star nod until now.

Mallee reassured Sanchez the league knew how good he was. Don't count Sanchez among those who weren't surprised at the selection.

"Even when they called me, it was a surreal feeling," Sanchez said. "I was like, 'Wow, this is really happening.' I thought Anibal [Sanchez] was having a great year, and in my mind he was going to be the one to get it. … Of course, you continue to do anything, you always have a chance. Now I got that and it can never be taken away from me."

His baseball-reference.com page will forever have the All-Star banner displayed above his career starts, and deservedly so. The Marlins sat at 10 games over .500 after 50 games, in large part because of how Sanchez anchored the offense.

He followed up a .293 April average with a .345 mark in May. Though Sanchez slowed in June, along with the rest of his teammates, he remains on pace to eclipse last year's totals for doubles, homers and RBI.

"He's been pretty consistent, being a big RBI guy and keeping us in ballgames," manager Jack McKeon said. "Early part of the year, watching the games on TV, I thought he was the key guy. He was always delivering the clutch blows. Now he's getting some help."

Whether Sanchez would become a cornerstone for his hometown team at times was speculative. He was a high enough draft pick (fourth round) out of the University of Miami and always was regarded among the organization's better prospects. Yet Sanchez had unsuccessful auditions at catcher and third base before finally settling in at first.

Even after the Marlins traded Mike Jacobs in October 2008 and opened the way for Sanchez, questions remained about his long-term viability. The younger, higher-ceilinged Logan Morrison was a level behind.

Sanchez did his part to make sure it wasn't an either/or situation. He had an outstanding rookie season in 2010, prompting the Marlins to move Morrison to left field.

"I knew I could do it," Sanchez said. "There's was nothing in my head saying I couldn't. I knew I could play at this level and be successful at some point, and try to help the ballclub win. I knew the time would come. I had to tell myself not to get frustrated. The time would come where I had the opportunity to show what I had and just be me and play."



(sun-sentinel.com)

Mike Stanton was the big hero in the Marlins’ extra-inning victory over the Phillies on Wednesday with his game-ending home run, but it was Gaby Sanchez who made it possible with a heads-up play that few noticed.

Sanchez spotted Domonic Brown failing to touch second base on his gap hit, which got past Bryan Petersen and rolled to the warning track.

Brown ended up at third with a leadoff “triple” in the sixth with the Phillies holding a 5-3 lead. But after Sanchez alerted the rest of the Marlins to Brown’s miss, the play was appealed and umpire Kerwin Danley called Brown out. One batter later, John Mayberry cracked a home run.

“Defensive RBI,” said Marlins infield coach Perry Hill of Sanchez’s alert thinking. “Huge out. That saved a run.”

In describing the play, Hill said Sanchez did exactly as trained.

“The ball’s in the gap, so the shortstop goes out, the second baseman goes behind the shortstop, and the first baseman trails the runner to second in case he makes a wide run and we can throw behind him,” Hill said. “So if he continues to third, Gaby’s job is to watch him touch every base.”

After Sanchez saw Brown miss the bag, the Marlins had to hope that Danley did, too.

“Most of [the umpires] are watching the ball like the rest of us,” Hill said. “I was watching the ball. But that’s Gaby’s job, and he did it. And he got lucky that the umpire was watching it, too.

“It’s one of those things you never think about. He’s probably done that 300 times the last couple of years, and it never came into play. And instead of taking it for granted, he continued to do his job every time and eventually it paid off. Thumbs-up to Gaby.”


(miamiherald.com)

Coral Gables, Fla. - Former University of Miami baseball player and current Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun leads three former Hurricanes on the list of Major League Baseball All-Star Game participants released Sunday, July 3. Joining Braun are Florida Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez and Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez.

Ryan Braun and Gaby Sanchez will suit up for the National League All-Stars, while Chris Perez will play for the American League in the 82nd Annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 12, at Phoenix's Chase Field.

Braun, a starting outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, will start for the NL All-Stars as he totes a .320 batting average on the year - the highest for the fifth-year MLB player at this point of the season in his career. He ended the 2007 season with a .324 average on his way to being named NL Rookie of the Year. Braun also carries an on-base percentage of .402, as well as a slugging percentage of .559 on the campaign for the Brewers.

On the year, Braun leads the Brewers in batting average, hits (98) and stolen bases (19).

Gaby Sanchez, now in his fourth year as a member of the Florida Marlins, will serve as a reserve infielder for the NL All-Stars, carrying a .292 average at the dish on the year for the fish. Sanchez owns a .473 slugging percentage with a .365 on-base average. Since making his major league debut on September 17, 2008, Sanchez has batted .279 with 34 home runs and 135 RBI. The Miami native has 13 of his 34 homers this year, in addition to 40 of his 114 career runs scored.

Not only does Sanchez lead the Marlins in batting average, but he also tops the team in RBI (46) - one ahead of Mike Stanton. He also leads in hits (92), while sitting second in home runs behind Stanton (16).

Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez is making his first appearance on the AL All-Star roster in what is now his fourth season in the MLB. Perez owns a 2-3 record on the hill in 2011, with an ERA of 2.37. He has appeared in 33 games for the Indians and registered a team-leading 19 saves on the campaign. His career-best is 23 saves recorded last year with the Indians.


(hurricanesports.com)

OAKLAND -- Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez's night ended early Tuesday in the first game of a three-game series against the A's when he was ejected for the first time in his Major League career.

With a runner on first and no outs in the seventh, Sanchez struck out swinging against A's left-hander Gio Gonzalez. Sanchez thought he had checked his swing on a pitch in the dirt, and as he walked away from the plate protesting the call, he flung his bat. Home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi promptly tossed him out of the game.

"It was just one of those things," Sanchez said after the Marlins' 1-0 loss. "He made the call, and I didn't agree with it. He knew that."

Sanchez said he had been thrown out of games in the Minor Leagues "once or twice" but never in the big leagues.

"One time an umpire was just really bad," he said.


(mlb.com)

Major League Baseball on Monday revealed the third of five National League All-Star balloting updates. Among infielders, no Marlins were in the top five. None of the Marlins’ outfielders were listed among the top 15 vote-getters either.

Fans do not determine the pitching staffs.

Arguably the Marlins’ most deserving All Star candidate to date is first baseman Gaby Sanchez, who entered the week ranked tied for sixth among NL hitters with a .321 average, tied for ninth in RBI (38), tied for fourth in multi-hit games (22), tied for sixth in hits (61), eighth in total bases (115), seventh in on-base percentage (.394) and 10th in slugging (.520).

Unfortunately for Sanchez, many more established first baseman are among the league leaders in the same categories. Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto and Ryan Howard all merit All-Star consideration as well. The top five vote-getters at first base: Pujols (1,479,320), Votto (1,310,755), Fielder (943,364), Howard (881,500) and Braves rookie Freddie Freeman (338,976).


(sun-sentinel.com)