Gary Sanchez Could Provide the Solution at First Base

Gary Sanchez has emerged as a dark horse candidate for the Yankees 2016 first base job after Railriders beat writer Shane Hennigan of the Scranton Times-Tribune reported that he was seen taking ground balls at the position for the first time this season.

While Rob Refsnyder has done an admirable job filling in for the injured Mark Teixeira, he doesn’t have the bat to stick at first long term. Sanchez, on the other hand, possesses elite power potential and is blocked behind the plate by Brian McCann through 2019 if Mac’s option vests. It’s long been an open question how New York would find plate appearances for Sanchez when he was ready, and Teixeira’s injury may have finally provided an opening.

Related Story: Is Rob Refsnyder the Answer at First Base?

Not only would Sanchez potentially provide a major boost to the team’s offense right now (Yankees first baseman currently rank dead last in the AL at -1.4 wins below average according to Baseball-Reference’s metric), but it would provide the team with some flexibility in getting him into the lineup long term. Greg Bird is the heir apparent at first base, but can the team really hand the job no questions asked in 2017 to a 23-year-old with 46 career MLB games played who just missed an entire season to shoulder surgery? Sanchez would provide an alternative and potential platoon partner without having to scour the free agent bargain bin this winter.

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Obviously Sanchez has more value if he stays behind the plate, and hopefully that is ultimately where he ends up. At the end of the day though, he’s a bat-first prospect and the team needs to see what he can do with regular reps in the majors. Sanchez is batting .290/.333/.529 through 147 Triple-A PAs in 2016 and looks ready to provide a boost to New York’s anemic offense. He can rotate as needed between catcher, first base, and DH until McCann and Alex Rodriguez vacate their spots.

The only wrench in these plans cracked right thumb that caused Sanchez to be placed on the 7-day DL on May 25th. He reportedly wore a plastic splint while fielding grounders to protect the injury. According to Hennigan, the plan was to reevaluate after two weeks, which would have been Wednesday. All signs point to a return to action for Sanchez, and it will be worth watching how much time he sees at first base going forward.