Sanchez Hasn't Arrived, but He's on His Way Now

BRADENTON, Fla. – It's 9 o'clock, nearly 11 hours after Tony Sanchez hit his first home run in pro ball, and it's apparent the Pirates kid catcher hasn't come down yet.

Sanchez was scheduled to be part of a group that took batting practice and shagged flies at McKechnie Field this morning. When the 8 a.m. start time rolled around, he was the no-show.

“I left my house at 7:30,” Sanchez pleaded his case, his eyes about to stare a hole through the list on the clubhouse wall. “I knew about it. I just forgot."

Hey, give the kid a break. Your first home run happens only once in your career, right?

Look, I'm not smart enough to predict the future, especially when it comes to 21-year-old prospects. Based on what little I've seen of Sanchez thus far, though, I like his chances. And I thought that before he mashed a 415-foot tater in his first at-bat on Friday evening. 

By all accounts, Sanchez isn't allergic to sweat. He doesn't act like Mr. First-Round Draft Pick, either. ("Kinda lucky," he called his homer over the center-field fence.) Put this guy in a dark room, and there's no need for a light switch. It's easy to envision this guy as a team leader down the road.

The only question appears to be how well Sanchez will hit eventually. Maybe he started to answer that a few hours ago. His catch-and-throw skills are big league stuff already.

I can tell you this much – if and when Sanchez does make it, Pittsburgh is gonna like this guy a lot.

 

 

Will Sanchez turn out to be the next Tony Pena, as Manny Sanguillen suggested to me the other day? Maybe, maybe not. Pena was a five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover, remember. Still, I understand where Sanguillen is coming from here.