As we keep looking at each of the Washington Nationals in our 2018 Report Cards, we analyze Adrian Sanchez and how he made the most of limited playing time.
Our District on Deck 2018 Report Card series continues today with a look at Washington Nationals infielder Adrian Sanchez. After a few lackluster spells with the team over the last two seasons, he seemed to be a man on a mission late in the year.
The infielder initially came up to help fill in at third base for Anthony Rendon after he went down hurt in April. He was then demoted when Daniel Murphy returned, before coming back up to the bigs permanently after the team traded Murphy to the Chicago Cubs.
Sanchez’s end of year slash line came in at an underwhelming .276/.288/.345, which was about what you would expect. However, after slashing a noteworthy .343/.361/.429 in September, he’s given himself a shot at a depth role in 2019.
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The Positives for Sanchez
During the season, we noted how Sanchez was exceeding expectations by hitting the ball hard during his later stint with the big league club. After rosters expanded, he was fifth on the team in average exit velocity at 88.2 mph according to Baseball Savant. This combined with a good launch angle meant he led the team in expected batting average in that time as well, with a .316 xBA, just ahead of Rendon at .294, which is some pretty good company. If it’s possible for him to maintain these metrics, then he could certainly be a useful bst off the bench moving forward.
As well as his bat coming to life late in the year, Sanchez has displayed plenty of versatility in the field, being able to fill in at numerous spots during his career. In 2018, he played at second base and third base, but has also previously filled in at shortstop, and should he be required to play at any infield spot, he can do so without looking uncomfortable. For someone who will likely profile as a bench bat at best, having that versatility is huge when it comes to deciding who should occupy that spot on the roster.
Areas for Improvement
Given his career numbers and the type of player he has been in his many years in the minor leagues, it’s fair to wonder whether this was just a hot streak from Adrian Sanchez. In parts of twelve seasons in the minors, he was only able to slash .261/.303/.352 in nearly 1,000 games. The only season he has ever had an OPS above .733 was way back in 2010, meaning there’s no real track record of sustained success for the infielder, so it’s going to take a lot of work to maintain his end of year hot streak.
You’ll notice in the various slash lines we’ve included throughout this report card, Sanchez’s on-base percentage isn’t much higher than his batting average. That’s because throughout 2018 the utility man swung at 91.9 percent of pitches inside the strike zone. At first, you may think that’s good, but it’s far from it, as not every pitch in the zone is worth swinging at. If he’s swinging pitches on the corners, it’s going to result in a lot of soft contact down the road, so he needs to be more selective on pitches in the zone.
The Final Grade
After a positive end to the year, and deservedly earning more playing time at the end of the year, Adrian Sanchez will be competing with Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo for the second base role. While that situation could change in free agency and via trades, Sanchez has at least worked his way into that conversation.
But his rough start to the year when he was called up to cover for injuries can’t be ignored, and should be accounted for in his grade. Overall, it was a positive year after he performed with the pressure off at the end of the year. B-
Remember to keep an eye out for more Washington Nationals 2018 Report Cards during the upcoming weeks here at District on Deck.