Mariners Position Battle Update: First Base

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Apr 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Gaby Sanchez (17) is greeted at home plate by right fielder Travis Snider (23) after Sanchez hit a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 11-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Gaby Sanchez (17) is greeted at home plate by right fielder Travis Snider (23) after Sanchez hit a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 11-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Gaby Sanchez

More from SoDo Mojo

The addition of Gaby Sanchez caught me off guard but didn’t surprise me. It’s always good to have depth and competition in spring training at every position, and Sanchez brings just that. In 6 games this spring, Sanchez has 4 hits in 14 at-bats, hitting .286 with an RBI. Playing mostly DH, he has only played 10 innings at first base. Although he hasn’t been bad, he just really hasn’t impressed anyone.

Being brought in on a minor league deal, Sanchez has certainly had success at the big league level before. He is going into his age 32 season and has a career slash line of .254/.332/.413 with 61 homeruns. His best year came in 2010 when he placed fourth in Rookie of the Year voting with a slash of .273/.341/.448 with 19 homeruns and 85 RBI in 151 games. He was an NL All-Star the following year, but since then he has yet to hit over .254.

Next: Mariners Position Battle Update: Utility Infielder

The Miami, Florida native is on the downward slope of his career but could still provide depth to an organization. I think that will be his role with the Mariners in 2016. He will most likely start the year in AAA and will be called upon if the Mariners need him later on down the road. He is a viable option to have in camp, but come the start of the season, he doesn’t have a great chance to crack the roster.