Sanchez meriting serious ROY consideration

NEW YORK — Gary Sanchez’s first at-bat on Monday exhausted his rookie eligibility, meaning that if the power-hitting catcher ever dreamed of being named the American League’s Rookie of the Year, it will have to happen this offseason.

In the remarkable six weeks or so that propelled the Yankees back into the postseason chase, perhaps Sanchez’s greatest accomplishment is this Baby Bomber deserves a place in the discussion. Despite not playing regularly until August, Sanchez’s numbers rank alongside the AL’s best newcomers.

“When I came up, what I was thinking about was just getting the opportunity to play,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “They gave me the opportunity, I became the everyday catcher and good things have happened for me. At the same time, it has been a special time for me because of everything that has happened. You can’t lose focus. You’ve got to stay focused.”

Sanchez, 23, enters play on Tuesday batting .333 with 13 home runs, 24 RBIs and a .697 slugging percentage in 34 games. The slugging percentage leads the Majors among players with a minimum of 140 plate appearances, and Sanchez’s 2.4 FanGraphs WAR (fWAR) is the highest of any rookie AL position player.

“It’s definitely nice, because if you’re part of that group then you’re doing something right,” said Sanchez, whose advanced stats are helped by his strong work on defense …

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