New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone defended his starting catcher in the last few hours, saying that Gary Sanchez receives an unfair amount of criticism for his performance, especially behind the plate.
Basically, the Yankees’ skipper said that Sanchez doesn’t get enough credit for improving his game since he broke into the scene in the major leagues, especially knowing he has had to miss important development time because of injuries.
“I feel like he draws some unfair ire at times from people,†Boone told Brandon Steiner on a video chat sponsored by Tick Picks, on Thursday. He notes he has made strides “and what we see behind the scenes and what has shown up, frankly, on the field†doesn’t get enough publicity in the press.
“He’s gotten a lot better on the defensive side,†the manager kept going about his starting catcher, “and there’s still so much room for him to continue to grow.â€
According to the numbers, Sanchez had a mixed 2019 in which he took a step forward in blocking (just seven passed balls in 742 2/3 innings compated to 18 in 653 in 2018) and a step back in framing (-6.8 in framing measurement, No. 16 in the league, as opposed to 2.6 in 2018).
The Yankees’ catcher is a star
At the batter’s box, the New York Yankees’ backstop remains a force, one of the best in the league. Since 2017, he leads MLB with 85 homers.
“He could be the best catcher in the sport,†Boone said. “He’s that talented. He’s had some unfortunate nagging injuries that have come up a little bit the last two years that have altered his season a little bit. He’s still amassed a lot of home runs and at-bats and stuff over the last two years.
“But he’s missed some time, killed some momentum at times. For a young player, and I think for Gary, who burst onto the scene, who was a highly touted prospect (and) came up and took the league by storm, I think sometimes what people forget is catcher is such a demanding position. You don’t often see very young catchers come up and become a central figure on a team.â€