Freddy Sanchez, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates

July 25, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By David Wysocki
Edited by Ryan Dodson

When the Boston Red Sox drafted infielder Freddy Sanchez in the 11th round of the 2000 MLB Draft, they knew what they were getting. They were getting a player with little-to-no power, which had no range defensively and slightly above average speed. So, why was he so highly touted since his draft day? Hard work pays off.

When Sanchez escaped the roadblock in the Red Sox's infield, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked up one of baseball's most polished and "baseball smart" guys.

Known by everyone as an extremely hard worker and true "baseball player", few had worries of his lack of seemingly raw physical talent. Truth be told, he can flat out play.

However, to say this was totally unexpected would be a lie. Sanchez has been mentioned with the best of baseball's top prospects until the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired him before the 2004 season. His league-leading .356 batting average is proving ‘Moneyball' stat-fiends correct – physical makeup has sometimes no correlation with success.

2005 marked the true rookie season for Sanchez where he gathered 453 at-bats and finished with a .291 average. He had been plagued by some injuries and stuck behind a claimed infield, as was the case in Boston, before this season. In fact, most people see Sanchez as more of a second baseman than a third baseman, where he has been mostly playing.

The million dollar question becomes: Can he keep it up?

The Pirates have done what they can to ensure the 28-year-old infielder remains hot. He has been slotted in the third spot in front of slugging outfielder Jason Bay and first baseman Sean Casey, a move that indicates how high the team sees his hitting stroke.

Sanchez is a pure and polished hitter that will probably not hit more than eight to 10 home runs this season. His five home runs in the first half of 2006 matched his 2005 total. He does, however, have unusual power to the gaps. He will also give you almost zero stolen bases. That does not mean he cannot produce runs, as his projected 91 runs and 88 RBI will shout at you.

Sanchez is a student of the game, and he has the potential to be a very selective hitter as well as a sage baserunner. His 13:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio does not reflect this because he has not yet reached his best. The fact he plays for the lowly Pirates also means he is challenged a lot more. Moving to the bread and butter of the Bucs lineup will allow him to develop that patience further. That's right, he will get better.

It is hard to say that he will hit .360 in ‘07 and .370 in '08 because it probably isn't going to happen. Sanchez should level out at around the .330 area, and we will instead see vast improvements in slugging and on-base percentages, mainly due to his diligent hard work and his unavoidable potential for some power.

Having Sanchez on your fantasy team has been most certainly phenomenal. He has done all you can ask and appears to be getting hot again. His position availability makes him one of the most versatile fantasy players in all of baseball as well. He is available at second base, third base and shortstop in most leagues.

With fantasy league trade deadlines approaching, you may be tempted to trade him. What you see is what you get. Sanchez will almost certainly finish with a batting average around .330, and he will not hit a lot of homers, but he does drive in runs. Don't downplay his run-producing value if you end up swinging a deadline deal.

We think you're better off holding on to Sanchez because of the fact he gets very little media attention. He received a lot of fanfare leading up to the All-Star Game, as it was in his home stadium, but since then - nothing. So your opponents aren't likely to value him at his true value. So hold on to him. If you can pull a trade for him from a non-believing owner, we suggest you do so and use him at second base.

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David Wysocki

David has been a KFFL writer since 2005. He is a San Diego native and a History and Geography student at California State University-Chico. He has a writing background and has appeared in, and helped produce, various local newsletters and magazines on sports and music. He also pitched for the No. 2 nationally ranked Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns his senior year of high school in 2002.

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