Not just a slugger, Sanchez brings power behind the plate

By now, everyone in baseball has heard about Yankees sensation Gary Sanchez, who has kick-started his Major League career by hitting 11 homers in his first 23 games, faster than anyone in history. (All 11 actually came in a span of just 15 games, since he didn’t go deep in his first seven.) But for all the well-deserved attention he’s commanding for what he’s doing next to the plate, have you also noticed what he’s doing behind it?

We knew when Sanchez was coming up that he had a strong throwing arm; after all, just about every scouting report mentioned it. MLBPipeline.com, for example, noted that he had “two standout tools: huge raw power and an exceptionally strong arm.” Now that we’ve had a few weeks of Sanchez in the big leagues and in front of the Statcast™ tracking cameras, we can confirm that, and then some.

Consider this: Through Sunday, we’ve tracked 1,128 individual catcher throws to second base on steal attempts. Despite starting only 15 games at catcher (he’s been the designated hitter a few times so far), Sanchez is tied for the third-strongest throw by anyone this year — as well as owning three of the top seven, and five of the top 10.

Hardest throws to second base on steal attempt, catchers, 2016

1. 89.3 mph — Christian Bethancourt, Aug. 22 2. 88.3 mph — Bethancourt, July 20 3. (tie) 87.8 mph — Sanchez, Aug. 5 / Sanchez, Aug. 27 / Cameron Rupp, June 2 6. (tie) 87.4 mph — Sanchez, Aug. 24 / Martin Maldonado, Apr. 14 8. (tie) 87.2 mph — Sanchez, Aug. 11 / Bethancourt, July 23 10. 87.0 mph — Sanchez, Aug. 22MLB average: 79.1 mph

That’s impressive company, or at least it ought to be. Remember, Bethancourt’s arm is so well-respected that in addition to his catching duties, the Padres have used him both as a …

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