Yankees: 3 Players Who Could Struggle in Shortened Season

2. Gary Sanchez

The start of a season, as well as the month of July, are when Sanchez struggles the most.

After a brutal postseason performance in 2019, the last thing Gary Sanchez needs is a rough 2020 season.

Sadly, Sanchez typically needs a month or so to get his feet under him. His career slash line for the months of March and April is a subpar .207/.276/.531. Of course, the cold weather can play a role for some players, but the warm weather of July hasn’t helped Sanchez throughout his career either.

During July, Sanchez’ career slash line is even worse, (.177/.226/.299) and considering he needs a chunk of at-bats to start moving in the right direction, it could be a few weeks before the slugging catcher can reach his previous All-Star form.

The addition of new catching coordinator Tanner Swanson will hopefully solve much of Sanchez’ issues behind the plate, but there could also be some growing pains as Sanchez learns new techniques, even with the extended break.

We broke down how the 60-game sprint could bode well for Sanchez, who exploded onto the scene late in the 2016 campaign, falling just short of the Rookie of the Year Award.

While Sanchez has proven he can go off for stretches in a full 162-game campaign, pitchers are well aware of Sanchez’ weaknesses, even with protection up and down the lineup.

The Kraken has been able to follow early spring struggles with scorching hot performances in the months of May and June in the past, but with each game growing in importance during this fragmented season, a potential slow start will be even more under a microscope.