FSL notes: Rays' Sanchez a 'steady' force
Jesús Sánchez has been a force in the middle of the Charlotte Stone Crabs order.His production at the plate was rewarded when Sanchez received the honor of representing the Tampa Bay Rays on the World Team in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game.
Jesús Sánchez has been a force in the middle of the Charlotte Stone Crabs order.
His production at the plate was rewarded when Sanchez received the honor of representing the Tampa Bay Rays on the World Team in the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game.
"I'm very proud to be part of the game and represent my country, the Dominican Republic," Sanchez said through translator and Charlotte Stone Crabs manager Reinaldo Ruiz.
Sanchez earned the starting nod in right field, batting seventh. He finished 0-for-3 with a fly out and two groundouts, but as a member of the World Team, the 20-year-old had the chance to play under the tutelage of former Boston Red Sox great -- and fellow Dominican Republic native -- David Ortiz.
Growing up, Sanchez's older brother, Merba, idolized Ortiz. His brother's admiration for the lefty-swinging power hitter in turn had a lasting effect on the young slugger.
"I wasn't really paying too much attention to baseball -- I didn't have one player I was really a fan of," Sanchez said. "But my brother was a fan of David Ortiz."
"I was a right-handed hitter, and my brother, because he was a fan of David Ortiz, made me hit left-handed. I was five or six years old."
That transition has worked out nicely.
Sanchez signed with Tampa Bay when he was 17 and began his career in 2015 by batting .335 with 45 RBIs in 61 games in the Dominican Summer League.
Sanchez has 13 siblings -- three on his mother's side and 10 on his father's side. His father passed away when he was just 11 years old, so it's Sanchez who takes care of his family now.
"The first thing I did with the bonus was build a house for my family, so they are comfortable," the Higuey, Dominican Republic native said. "So when I come here, I can just worry about playing the game and not worry about how the family is doing."
Sanchez did not have much to worry about on the diamond through his first three months in the Florida State League. The Rays No. 4 prospect earned FSL All-Star honors in June and hit .298 with a league-high 56 RBIs to go along with nine homers and 20 doubles through mid-July.
"He's an athlete; he can flat-out hit," Ruiz said.
After batting .337 through the first two months, Sanchez cooled down slightly as the league started to adjust to him, and he began seeing fewer fastballs. Yet the young outfielder still finds himself tied for seventh in the FSL in hitting through 78 games.
"He's so young, and the way he swings the bat, the way it's so easy, he is a steady hitter," Ruiz said.
"For 20 years old, he's impressive."
In brief
The future is now: The Futures Game featured several current Florida State League players, including the game's MVP and current Daytona Tortuga Taylor Trammell, who went 2-for-2 with a homer, triple and two runs scored. In addition to Sanchez and Trammell, Matt Manning (Lakeland Flying Tigers), Alex Kirilloff (Fort Myers Miracle), Adonis Medina (Clearwater Threshers), Jorge Guzman (Jupiter Hammerheads) and Andrés Giménez (St. Lucie Mets) all participated.
Say Wentz: Braves No. 9 prospect Joey Wentz has not surrendered a run over three starts in the month of July and has strung together 29 consecutive scoreless innings. The 20-year-old has allowed just 17 hits and three walks over that span and has not been scored upon since June 13 against the Bradenton Marauders. The lefty was drafted 40th overall in 2016.
Feeling blue: The Dunedin Blue Jays have caught fire in July, winning eight straight from July 3-10 and 12 of 13 through the middle of the month. Pitching has led the way, with a league-best 2.74 ERA through the first 15 games of July. Patrick Murphy allowed just one run over 14 innings in his two starts, while Yennsy Diaz posted a 2.12 ERA in three starts. Connor Eller slid into the rotation and yielded just one run over his first 16.2 innings this month for a 0.54 ERA.
Kirsten Karbach is a contributor to MiLB.com.
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