X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2019 Season-In-Review - Gary Sanchez

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez was his usual power-hitting self in 2019. Mike Schwarzenbach examines his hitting profile to determine whether he will be a strong value for fantasy baseball owners in 2020 based on ADP.

There's an old saying that goes, "You can't predict baseball." In general, that statement is true. The game has been played for well over a century and even with all that time to learn and all the advanced stats available to us in 2019, the game is still as unpredictable as ever.

That being said, there are a few players you can pencil in their season stats in March and be pretty darn close once October comes around. Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez seems to be turning into one of those players early in his career as his 2019 went fairly close to how we expected back in Spring Training.

Let's look back at how the past season treated the Sanchize and what we should expect going forward.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Old Reliable

Sanchez did what he always does with the bat, which is hitting for massive power while hitting for a low batting average thanks to a ton of strikeouts and a low BABIP. He ranked first among catchers with 34 home runs while putting up excellent run and RBI numbers on a per-game basis.

The other thing we can, unfortunately, pencil in for Sanchez is missing games. Sanchez had multiple stints on the injured list again this season most notably with a late-season groin strain which is the same injury that caused him to miss time towards the end of the 2018 season. Sanchez has played three full seasons in the Big Leagues, and the 122 games he played in 2017 is his career-high. Sanchez has played just 195 games over the past two seasons due to a myriad of injuries.

When he was on the field, however, Sanchez was the difference-maker at catcher that fantasy drafters were hoping for when they paid a premium for the right to have power from fantasy's weakest position. Sanchez's 34 homers were a career-high and he slashed .232/.316/.525, joining Willson Contreras as the only catchers to slug above .500. His .293 ISO lead all catchers by a country mile and he finished top-five at catcher in runs, RBI, and homers despite finishing 10th in plate appearances.

Sanchez backed up his elite power numbers by improving his batted ball profile as well. He put up a 42.1 percent hard contact rate, a new career-high, and had more batted ball events that lead to fantasy production, especially when compared to his disappointing 2018.

In 2018, Sanchez batted a ghastly .186 thanks largely to a .197 BABIP. Many fantasy drafters looked at the BABIP and assumed positive regression was due. Some was in fact due to bad luck, his BABIP bounced back a little in 2019 up to .244, but a lot of his struggles in 2018 were poor contact. Sanchez hit 42.9 percent ground balls in 2018, which is fine for a speedster like Billy Hamilton, but for a slow, power-hitting catcher, that many grounders is a recipe for failure, especially when coupled with his 19.2 percent infield-fly-ball rate. Throw in a 25.1 percent strikeout rate and you have a sub-.200 hitter.

This season, however, Sanchez made improvements in his swing and the results showed. He upped his line drive rate from 14.3 percent to 20.3 percent and improved his fly ball rate from 42.9 percent to 47.6 percent. These batted balls came at the expense of grounders and pop-ups and while he did strike out a bit more this year, he was able to raise his batting average back up to a number fantasy owners can live with in exchange for his elite power production.

 

2020 Projected Value

Moving forward, Sanchez will continue to be in the conversation for the first catcher drafted in fantasy, though probably not as high overall as he was being drafted this season. Going into 2018, the catcher landscape was Sanchez, J.T. Realmuto and a lot of unflattering starting options before getting to the real dregs of the position.

That likely will not be the case heading into 2019 as catcher actually looks deeper for fantasy than it's been in several years. Breakouts from Grandal and Wilson Ramos combined with the emergence of several exciting young players such as Will Smith mean there will be more startable catchers to go around and there won't be as much of a positional advantage to be had paying up for Sanchez or Realmuto.

That being said, Sanchez should still be the first catcher off the board when 2019 drafts commence. Realmuto has been more consistent in recent seasons, but he did not take the leap many predicted moving from Miami to Philadelphia. Sanchez has his injury history, yes, but when he's on the field no catcher is more of a difference-maker in fantasy. Baseball is a long season so if owners need to deal with an IL stint here or there so be it.

For my money, give me the only catcher in baseball with legitimate 45-homer upside if he can stay on the field. Injuries are a lazy excuse not to draft a certain player as anyone can get hurt, especially at catcher. Sanchez will be an absolute monster when he's on the field and if he stays healthy no other catcher can touch his power production. He plays in an extremely hitter-friendly home park in the middle of what should be another stacked Yankees lineup in the league where he can DH when other top catching options would need an off day.

Draft Sanchez confidently starting around the sixth round of 12-team fantasy leagues and pencil in 35-40 homers from a position other owners won't get 30. Just have a contingency plan in place if Sanchez needs another IL stint.

More 2019 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
San Francisco Giants

Giants Exercise Bob Melvin's 2026 Option
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Josh Naylor

Back in Action on Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Suffers Setback
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Nolan Arenado

Dealing with Finger Sprain
ANA

Mikael Granlund Moves to Anaheim on Three-Year Deal
Jacob Wilson

Scratched With Hamstring Soreness
NJ

Jake Allen Signs Five-Year Extension With Devils
VAN

Brock Boeser Remains in Vancouver on Seven-Year Deal
Conor Garland

Signs New Six-Year Deal with Canucks
Thatcher Demko

Signs Three-Year Extension with Canucks
Brandon Woodruff

Ready for Season Debut
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary Agrees to Seven-Year Extension with Capitals
Garrett Mitchell

Out for the Rest of the Season
MLB

Brewers-Mets Postponed on Tuesday
MLB

Tigers-Nationals Postponed on Tuesday
Zach Neto

Returns to Tuesday's Lineup
Milwaukee Bucks

Gary Harris Inks Deal With Bucks
MLB

Padres-Phillies Postponed on Tuesday
Charlotte Hornets

Mason Plumlee Heading Back to Charlotte
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Hunter Goodman

Back Behind the Dish on Tuesday
Jakob Poeltl

Agrees to a Contract Extension With Raptors
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Jason Day

is a Fine Play With Limited Upside at John Deere Classic
Vasilije Micić

Vasilije Micic Dealt to Bucks on Tuesday
Daniel Suarez

and Trackhouse Racing Parting Ways After 2025 Season
Luke Clanton

Looks to Have Another Strong Week at TPC Deere Run
Pat Connaughton

Traded to Hornets
Atlanta Hawks

Luke Kennard Lands in Atlanta
Breece Hall

Aiming to Prove He is "Still One of the Best in the League"
T.J. Watt

Steelers Not Planning to Trade T.J. Watt
Sacramento Kings

Dennis Schroder Set to Join Sacramento
Bo Bichette

Out Again on Tuesday
Trent Grisham

Likely Heading to Injured List
Boston Celtics

Luke Kornet Agrees to Contract With San Antonio
Jonas Valančiūnas

Nuggets Trade for Center Jonas Valanciunas
Royce Lewis

Twins Activate Royce Lewis
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Signs Massive Extension With Oklahoma City
Corbin Carroll

Eyeing Return Before All-Star Break
New York Knicks

Knicks Pick Up Guerschon Yabusele
Yordan Alvarez

Could Return Early Next Week
NFL

Negotiations on 18-Game Season Not Expected Until Next Year
Indiana Pacers

Myles Turner Leaves Indiana, Signs With Milwaukee
Kerry Carpenter

Shelved with Hamstring Issue
Tyler Boyd

Steelers Have Talked With Tyler Boyd
Milwaukee Bucks

Damian Lillard Waived By Milwaukee
Darren Waller

Coming Out of Retirement to Play for Dolphins
Alexander Romanov

Islanders Retain Alexander Romanov on $50 Million Contract
Andrei Kuzmenko

Signs Up for One More Year with Kings
Morgan Geekie

Signs Long-Term Extension with Bruins
Ivan Provorov

Stays in Columbus on Seven-Year Deal
Alex Pietrangelo

Stepping Away From Golden Knights for Health Reasons
Matias Maccelli

Maple Leafs Bring in Matias Maccelli
Evan Bouchard

Inks $42 Million Contract with Oilers
Vladimir Tarasenko

Wild Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko From Detroit
Patrick Kane

Signs New One-Year Deal with Red Wings
Brad Marchand

Lands Six-Year Extension
Aaron Ekblad

Remains a Panther on Eight-Year Deal
Mitchell Marner

Heads to Vegas
Randy Arozarena

Homers Twice, Plates Four Monday
Shea Langeliers

Hits Three-Run Homer In Return From Injured List Monday
Wilyer Abreu

Belts Grand Slam and Hits Inside-the-Park Home Run
Philadelphia 76ers

Trendon Watford Lands in Philadelphia
New York Knicks

Jordan Clarkson Expected to Sign With Knicks
Santi Aldama

Remains with Grizzlies
Atlanta Hawks

Nickeil Alexander-Walker Lands in Atlanta
Jalen Ramsey

Could Move Around in Pittsburgh
Los Angeles Clippers

Brook Lopez Strikes Deal With Clippers
Jonnu Smith

to be Used in Hybrid Role
Terry McLaurin

Commanders, Terry McLaurin Not Close on Contract Extension
Chicago Bulls

Tre Jones Remaining in Chicago
Michael Mayer

Raiders Not Interested in Trading Michael Mayer
Houston Rockets

Dorian Finney-Smith Signing With Rockets
Atlanta Hawks

Caris LeVert Joining Pistons
Aldrich Potgieter

Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic
Thorbjorn Olesen

Finishes Tied for 41st at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Denny McCarthy

Finishes Tied For 12th at Travelers Championship
Chris Kirk

Finishes Tied For Second at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Michael Kim

Finishes Tied for 26th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Max Homa

Misses Cut at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Lucas Glover

Finishes Tied For Ninth at Travelers Championship
PGA

Nico Echavarria Finishes Tied For Sixth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Pittsburgh Steelers

Rumors Still Swirling Around Potential T.J. Watt Trade
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Tyler Boyd

Interested in Playing for Steelers
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Now Looking to Acquire a Tight End
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
L'Jarius Sneed

Says he's Healthy
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Minkah Fitzpatrick

Heading Back to Miami
Jonnu Smith

Shipped to Pittsburgh
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Jalen Ramsey

Steelers Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Jonas Brodin

Expected to Miss Start of Next Season
TB

Conor Sheary Placed on Waivers for Contract Termination
Dante Fabbro

Stays with Blue Jackets on Four-Year Deal
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
NFL

NFL Won't Hold Supplemental Draft This Year
Damon Arnette

Getting Second Chance With Texans
Deommodore Lenoir

Arrested for Obstruction of Justice
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Expected to Make Second-Year Jump
Jalin Hyatt

Looking to Flip the Script in 2025
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish
Charles Oliveira

Can Become A Two-Time Lightweight Champion
Ilia Topuria

A Favorite At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fourth Title Defense At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Renato Moicano

Returns At UFC 317
Beneil Dariush

An Underdog At UFC 317
Payton Talbott

Looks To Bounce Back
Felipe Lima

Set To Open Up UFC 317 Main Card
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF