RADIO
Sixto Sanchez 2021 Outlook: Production May Not Measure Up To Potential
4 years agoSixto Sanchez went 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA over 39 IP in his big league debut, but the 22-year-old starter likely has some growing to do before he's ready to serve as a fantasy ace. His 4.08 xFIP wasn't as strong as his ERA. Furthermore, Sanchez only struck out 20.9% of his opponents in the regular season. The Miami Marlin averaged 99 mph last year, ranking in the 97th percentile for fastball velocity. Sadly, his 2,164 RPM spin rate only ranked in the 18th percentile. Scouts agree that his heater underperforms the radar gun because it lacks life, and Sanchez actually needed to throw a sinker because RHB torched his four-seamer for a .421 xwOBA in 2020. He also struggled to command his heater at times with a 47.8 Zone%. Sanchez has elite secondaries including a changeup (18.3 SwStr%, 51.6 Zone%, 45.9% chase rate) and slider (12.6 SwStr%, 53.1 Zone%), so he should be fantastic when he figures out how to harness his velocity. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that it happens in 2021, and the Fish will likely have him on a strict innings limit. The kid oozes talent, but he's still an adjustment away from his full potential. As such, his current ADP of 118.43 is probably too steep in redraft formats.
