Sánchez slugs Yankees forward with Boone
It already feels like a million years since Aaron Boone was texting Gary Sánchez, hoping to make a manager-player connection that had eluded Joe Girardi, a lapse that ultimately resulted in his firing. These were the first days of Boone’s reign as Yankees manager in 2017, and there was no debate about the new agenda.
Boone knew he had to connect with Sánchez, the brooding and unreachable catcher. There was so much talent behind that wall. How to unlock it was the question. Girardi couldn’t: military-stiff and increasingly unable to relate to many of his younger players, the gap was its widest with Sánchez.
Boone broke through with that introductory text that was nothing, really – just small talk on an iPhone screen. But the implied message was nevertheless powerful and lasting. Boone wanted Sánchez to know the lines of communication were open and that he’d always have an ally in the manager’s office.
That faith was tested at times during the summer of 2018. Sánchez was never the Yankees’ hardest worker. You don’t have to ask if he poured himself into those home to first sprints – strolls more accurately describe Sánchez’ effort.
But Boone never gave up on his catcher and, more importantly, neither did general manager Brian Cashman even though Sánchez had just finished a forgettable season. It was highlighted not just by injuries but a .180 average that some executives believed would tempt the Yankees to trade Sánchez.
But Cashman and Boone were ultimately in agreement: Sánchez was better than he’d shown both on and off the field. He wasn’t going anywhere.
It’s safe to say the investment isn’t just paying a tidy dividend, it’s catalyzing the Yankees’ surge to the top of the American League East. The Bombers are baseball’s hottest team for a number of reasons, but Sánchez is in the middle of every opposing scouting report that shouts “proceed with caution.”
Just how hot is Sánchez these days? The solo home run he hit against the Padres on Tuesday was his 17th of the season in just his 37th game. That represented a club record for the fewest games needed to reach 17 home runs in a season, tying Sánchez with Mickey Mantle’s home run spree in 1956, the year he finished with 52.
Sanchez’s 18th home run of the season was a two-run shot that propelled the Yankees over the Red Sox on Saturday.
No one is saying Sánchez is the new Mick, but his bat speed and ability to barrel up on even elite fastballs has been breathtaking. Sánchez has compensated for the combined absences of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton for most of the first two months. It certainly begs the question of how much more lethal the Bombers’ lineup will be when all three sluggers are healthy at the same time.
“Gary is obviously a very, very dangerous hitter,” Boone said recently. “When he’s healthy and feeling good at the plate, he can do a great deal of damage.”
Any discussion of Sánchez’ rebirth is confined to mechanics and health. Neither he nor Boone has any desire to revisit those past struggles, especially ones that go back as far as the Girardi era. Indeed, Sánchez does his best work when he’s left alone. The 26-year-old Dominican simply doesn’t do self-analysis.
That makes Sánchez the polar opposite of, say, Didi Gregorius, the locker room comedian who managed to invent his own language on Twitter last year. And unlike Gio Urshela, who prefers to relax at this locker, is open to any and all interview requests and is happy to give it a go in somewhat halting English – Sánchez prefers the players’ lounge, which is off-limits to the press.
Even when he’s finally standing in front of the cameras and notebooks, Sánchez gives off a distinct “Are We Done Yet” vibe. It’s not that he has a problem with the army of reporters who cover the Yankees. It’s just that he’s quiet by nature and would prefer to focus on staying healthy, for one.
“It’s an honor for me to get to records like that and to have my name associated with those guys,” Sánchez said after tying Mantle’s mark. “But I’m trying to keep things simple. Look for something in the zone and try to swing hard.”
When asked why he’s hitting so many home runs and at such an impressive rate – one every 8.24 at-bats, even better than the one every 10.65 at-bats in 2016 when he finished with 20 homers and was nicknamed “The Kraken” by Cashman. Sánchez pointed to the list of body parts that are finally pain free going into mid-summer 2019: groin, calf and shoulder.
“No. 1 is my health. That’s the No. 1 reason, I’m healthy,” Sánchez said. “At the plate, I’m working hard, I’m not swinging at bad pitches, but that’s it. Keep doing things simple at the plate. Pitchers can execute really good pitches, and I’m just trying to stay away from those and focusing on the ones in the zone.”
That explanation is the equivalent of an instruction manual on handling Sánchez: he needs only the gentlest of pushes from above, which Girardi never quite understood. Boone, by contrast, is the master of low maintenance, which is bad news for the rest of the American League. If he and Sánchez are indeed clicking, imagine how much more damage awaits.
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