Mar 5, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; A general view of baseballs on the field at Roger Dean Stadium prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; A general view of baseballs on the field at Roger Dean Stadium prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
Ricardo Sanchez may feel like he’s been around the Atlanta Braves lower levels for a while, but he’s still just 19. What is ahead for 2017?
Player Profile
The Atlanta Braves initially acquired Sanchez from the Los Angeles Angels.
Ricardo Jose (Lugo) Sanchez was signed by the Angels out of Venezuela as a big-time signee in July 2013, getting a signing bonus north of a half-million dollars.
The Angles started out Sanchez with their Arizona Rookie League team. He made 12 appearances, throwing 38 2/3 innings, posting a 3.49 ERA and 1.60 WHIP with a 12.09% walk rate and 23.63% strikeout rate.
Between the 2014 and 2015 seasons, the Braves and Angels made a deal sending Kyle Kubitza and Nate Hyatt to the Angels for Sanchez.
The 2015 season saw Sanchez make two extended trips to the DL, one just over one month long, the other for two months.
Sanchez had mixed results when he was healthy and on the mound, making 10 starts, throwing 39 2/3 innings, posting a 5.45 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 11.67% walk rate, and 17.22% strikeout rate.
Sanchez returned to Rome, and while his ERA number in the final numbers isn’t exactly great, he showed tremendous progress this season. He worked on his mechanics and approach early in the season and settled in well in July for a strong finish.
The numbers showed exactly what the eye test did as well, as his start on July 1st seemed to be a major turning point for his season. That start was one of the best in the entire Braves system this season. He went 7 innings, allowing just one hit, a solo home run, and a walk, while striking out 11.
Before the July 1st start, he had made 12 appearances, throwing 54 2/3 innings, with a 6.26 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 10.66% walk rate, and 17.62% strikeout rate.
From that game forward, he made 12 appearances, throwing 64 2/3 innings, posting a 3.48 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 10.37% walk rate, and 22.22% strikeout rate.
Ricardo’s 2016 season overall was 24 appearances, 119 1/3 innings, 4.75 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, a 10.51% walk rate, and a 20.04% strikeout rate.
Size – Sanchez is listed at 5’11” and 170 pounds, and he could be even an inch or two shorter than that listing. He has added some size in the last year, and it showed in his ability to go deeper into games.
Delivery – Sanchez begins his delivery straddling the rubber. He steps toward the first base side of the rubber with his left foot and brings his right leg just above the waist and tucks his right hip and shoulder toward the first-second base hole.
Sanchez comes easy toward the plate, using his legs to generate his power and movement, finishing with a high leg kick.
When Sanchez is struggling, it is notable that he is still going well in his lower half and landing consistently, but his 3/4 release point seems to waver.
In watching him in multiple starts this year, it was notable that he seemed to be near-pinpoint in his command/control when he was in a tough spot or facing a tough starter on the other side. Raised competition brought out the best in his performance.
I noticed a lot of his worst games were the result of one really terrible inning. From talking with a few different people, the resounding comment I got was that Sanchez’s biggest hurdle is between his ears.
His arm slot would drift some in those rough innings, but he was still consistent in his delivery the entire time.
Control (45) – Sanchez has the consistency in his delivery and the ability to locate his big breaking ball to be an above-average control guy, but he slips into those big innings with a seeming lack of focus.
If he can keep his focus where it should be, he could certainly be a guy in the 7-8% walk rate range.
Pitches
Fastball (55) – Sanchez went through the Rome “take off a little for movement and control” program last season as a starter, and that really made his pitch play up.
One of my criticisms of Sanchez’s fastball when I did my report on him before the 2016 season was the lack of movement he generated with the pitch, and he certainly didn’t have that issue in 2016.
His fastball works 90-93, touching 96. Taking a couple MPH off that range has really allowed him to get excellent late movement on his fastball, with some sink and arm-side run.
Change Up (50) – The change in his approach with his fastball also led to a less effort-led change, and the lack of movement I saw with him also went away.
Sanchez’s change played up like a sweeping slider at times low in the zone, breaking down and away from his arm side, but primarily he worked with a touch of sink to the glove side, and that opposite run from his fastball got weak swings.
The issue I saw with the pitch was that he didn’t have great feel for that movement yet, and it led to a number of pitches trailing out of the zone. As he gains more feel on the adjusted pitch, he could certainly play up to an above-average change.
Curve Ball (60) – This could be even a bit on the light side. Seriously, many know of Touki Toussaint’s curve through GIFs, but Sanchez has the same kind of incredible break and movement on his pitch from the left side.
The more impressive part is that Sanchez really knows how to locate the pitch within the strike zone.
Sanchez’s curve sits in the mid-70s primarily and has excellent 12-6 break.
MLB Player Comp
Sanchez in build and approach reminds me strongly of Gio Gonzalez. I also identified Gonzalez as a fit for a comp for Tyler Pike earlier this winter, but he does truly fit both guys in different ways.
While with Pike it was more due to his struggles with putting his stuff in the zone due to the movement of it like Gonzalez often experiences, Sanchez and Gonzalez have similar deliveries and pitch selections, along with their curve ball being their best pitch.
Of course, that’s not saying Sanchez will be Gio, but it’s good to consider that Gonzalez didn’t break into the majors until he was 22, and Sanchez won’t turn 20 until after opening day this season.
Sanchez should move with the rest of his Rome cohorts to the new high-A Florida roster. At just 20, even moving a step per season would have him on the cusp of the major leagues at 22-23, which would certainly be in line, age-wise.
Of course, with such a deep system of arm talent, Sanchez is frequently overlooked and could really surprise folks with his talent by improving his focus and, thus, his control of his excellent raw stuff.
