FREDDY SANCHEZ
12/21/77; '00 11th (Boston); Oklahoma City Univ.
R/R; 5-11, 185
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 2000 A (Bos) |
.303 |
.372 |
.367 |
109 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
19 |
4 |
0 |
| 2000 A- (Bos) |
.288 |
.347 |
.439 |
132 |
13 |
2 |
1 |
9 |
16 |
2 |
4 |
| 2001 AA (Bos) |
.326 |
.363 |
.472 |
178 |
20 |
0 |
2 |
9 |
21 |
3 |
1 |
| 2001 A+ (Bos) |
.339 |
.388 |
.446 |
280 |
19 |
4 |
1 |
22 |
30 |
5 |
3 |
| 2002 AL (Bos) |
.188 |
.278 |
.188 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
| 2002 AAA (Bos) |
.301 |
.350 |
.432 |
183 |
10 |
1 |
4 |
12 |
21 |
5 |
3 |
| 2002 AA (Bos) |
.328 |
.403 |
.437 |
311 |
23 |
1 |
3 |
37 |
45 |
19 |
3 |
| 2003 AL (Bos) |
.235 |
.235 |
.294 |
34 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
| 2003 AAA (Bos) |
.341 |
.430 |
.493 |
211 |
17 |
0 |
5 |
31 |
36 |
8 |
0 |
| 2003 AAA |
.400 |
.400 |
.600 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 NL |
.158 |
.158 |
.158 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 AAA |
.264 |
.326 |
.360 |
125 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
17 |
4 |
1 |
The Pirates acquired Sanchez in the reworked trade with Boston, with the net result
being a trade of Scott Sauerbeck and Jeff Suppan for Sanchez. He had surgery to
remove a bone spur from his ankle shortly after the Pirates acquired him. He was
nevertheless expected to compete with Bobby Hill for the 2B job in spring training,
with Sanchez considered the favorite, but he wasn't ready to play until mid-season,
in yet another case of the Pirates severely understating the expected duration of an
injury. He finally was able to report to Nashville, where he was very rusty at
first but eventually began to hit well. Sanchez has hit for high averages everywhere
he's gone. He's not a power hitter, but by 2003 in AAA he was showing very good gap
power and patience at the plate. Sanchez was primarily a SS in the minors, but also
played 2B and a little at 3B. He's reportedly a good defensive player, although he
is not considered to have the range to play SS in the majors. He also reportedly
has a very good attitude and was well liked by the Red Sox' staff. His problem with
the Pirates will be fitting in somewhere now that Jose Castillo has won the 2B job.
The Pirates have made it clear they will not consider Sanchez at 3B because of his
lack of HR power, although that's a curious view for a team that first signed Chris
Stynes, who had limited power, then acquired Ty Wigginton, who has only modest power,
to play the position. Toward the end of his time in Nashville he started playing
some at SS and he also played there a little with the Pirates in September. The team
made it clear they wanted to see whether he could handle the position. The removal
of Abe Nunez from the roster makes it a near-certainty that Sanchez will open 2005 as
the team's UT IF. He helped himself, and probably sealed Nunez' departure, by staying
healthy and making a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. The change should
strengthen the Pirates' bench significantly, as Sanchez should eventually be far
better than Nunez offensively. He and Hill should help give the Pirates a very
versatile and productive bench. Sanchez needs to adapt quickly to ML pitching,
however, as he'll turn 27 before the 2005 season and the Pirates are not patient
with inexperienced hitters.
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