Florida Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez made the National League All-Star team last season. But after an awful start this year, the 28-year-old Sanchez was demoted to the minors on May 19. He was called back up on June 10.
Sanchez has struggled since last season
Sanchez’s troubles date back to last season. He hit .293 with 13 homers and 50 RBI in his All-Star first half, along with an .846 OPS. But Sanchez hit just .225 with 6 HR and 28 RBI in the second half of 2011. His OPS was .679.
In the 2012 season, Sanchez was hitting .197 with an OPS of just .539 when he was sent down. He had 1 HR and 11 RBI in 122 at bats. Sanchez was particularly awful in May, with a .184 batting average and .484 OPS. In 49 at bats, he had just two extra-base hits, both doubles.
Sanchez had been so punchless that his May OBP of .259 was actually higher than his May slugging percentage of .224.
Marlins have done this before
The Marlins have made a habit of surprising demotions. Last year, the Marlins demoted 2009 National League Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan and Logan Morrison, who had been thought to be one of their rising stars. Morrison had 17 homers at the time of his August demotion and had spent most of the year batting third or fifth for the Marlins.
Coghlan has struggled with injuries and has spent time in the minors again in 2012, but Morrison only spent a week and a half in the minors last August before returning to the Marlins. Morrison did not even do that well in the minors, hitting .176 in 34 at bats, but still made it back quickly.
.494 OBP in AAA
Sanchez did do well at AAA New Orleans, hitting .310 with three homers in 58 at bats. Thanks to 16 walks, he had a .494 OBP. The Marlins brought Sanchez back on June 10 and put him right back in the starting lineup, although his numbers have not improved — at press time, he was hitting just .194 for the season
If you do pick up Sanchez, which is not a good idea at this time, bear in mind that the righthanded batter has a career OPS of .900 vs. lefties and .719 vs. righties. In 2012, the split got even worse before he was sent down – .758 to .466.
Also be aware that Sanchez has hit much better in the first half during his brief career, with a first-half OPS of .793 vs. .718 in the second half. So Gaby Sanchez is somebody you should probably pass on at this point.
Ben Hargrove is a fantasy baseball expert for sites like DraftStreet, a popular fantasy sports website.