Player Headshot
Tony Sanchez
C
TEX
Age: 36
Birth Date: 1988 May 20
Birthplace: Miami, FL, USA
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 220 lb.
B/T: Right/Right

STATS OVERVIEW

Season
G Games
PA Plate Appearances
WARP Wins Above Replacement Player
DRC+ Deserved Runs Created plus - Measures batter contributions, not just results. 100 is average. Higher is better, lower is worse.
SD± DRC+ Standard Deviation - Our measure of uncertainty surrounding a player’s DRC+
DRAA Deserved Runs Above Average - DRC+ converted to runs
BRR Base Running Runs - Measures the number of runs contributed by a player's advancement on the bases -- opportunity and park adjusted
DRP Deserved Runs Prevented - Total summary of all fielding contributions
Career - - - - - - - -
Current Season - - - - - - - -

ARTICLES

Player at a glance

At-a-glance reports will be available on our new player cards shortly.
TRANSACTION HISTORY
  • 2019-11-04 : C Tony Sanchez elected free agency.

  • 2019-01-22 : Texas Rangers signed free agent C Tony Sanchez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

  • 2018-11-02 : C Tony Sanchez elected free agency.

  • 2018-04-16 : Cincinnati Reds traded C Tony Sanchez to Texas Rangers for cash.

  • 2018-02-25 : Cincinnati Reds signed free agent C Tony Sanchez to a minor league contract.

  • 2017-10-23 : C Tony Sanchez elected free agency.

  • 2017-09-24 : Atlanta Braves selected the contract of C Tony Sanchez from Gwinnett Braves.

  • 2017-08-31 : Atlanta Braves traded 2B Brandon Phillips and cash to Los Angeles Angels for Tony Sanchez.

  • 2016-12-01 : Los Angeles Angels signed free agent C Tony Sanchez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

  • 2016-11-07 : C Tony Sanchez elected free agency.

  • 2016-09-27 : San Francisco Giants selected the contract of C Tony Sanchez from Sacramento River Cats.

  • 2016-08-02 : San Francisco Giants signed free agent C Tony Sanchez to a minor league contract.

  • 2016-07-28 : Buffalo Bisons released C Tony Sanchez.

  • 2016-02-19 : Toronto Blue Jays signed free agent C Tony Sanchez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

  • 2016-01-13 : Pittsburgh Pirates released C Tony Sanchez.

  • 2016-01-06 : Pittsburgh Pirates designated C Tony Sanchez for assignment.

  • 2015-10-05 : Pittsburgh Pirates recalled C Tony Sanchez from Indianapolis Indians.

  • 2014-09-01 : Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Tony Sanchez from Indianapolis Indians.

  • 2014-04-26 : Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Tony Sanchez from Indianapolis Indians.

  • 2013-12-16 : Tony Sanchez changed number to .

  • 2013-09-03 : Pittsburgh Pirates recalled C Tony Sanchez from Altoona Curve.

  • 2013-07-28 : Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Tony Sanchez from Indianapolis Indians.

  • 2013-06-21 : Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Tony Sanchez from Indianapolis Indians.

  • 2012-11-20 : Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of Tony Sanchez from Indianapolis Indians.

  • 2012-01-19 : Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster C Tony Sanchez to spring training.

  • 2011-01-18 : Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster C Tony Sanchez to spring training.

  • 2010-01-04 : Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster C Tony Sanchez to spring training.

  • 2009-11-10 : C Tony Sanchez transferred to Bradenton Marauders from Lynchburg Hillcats.

  • 2009-06-12 : Pittsburgh Pirates signed C Tony Sanchez.

INJURIES

CONTRACT HISTORY

COMPENSATION

Year Contract Year
Age Seasonal Age
Team Signing Team
Salary Salary or other detail
Service Time Accured service time
2013 25 PIT 0 0.065
2014 26 PIT $507,000 0.142
2015 27 PIT $518,000 0.155
2016 28 TOR 0 -
2017 29 ANA 0 1.010
2018 30 TEX 0 1.010

BP ANNUAL COMMENTS

Year Book Comments Buy now
2018
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2018.jpg
Congratulations are in order for Tony Sanchez, who made it back to the majors in 2017. He only had one plate appearance in the one game he played in, but he made it!
Buy it now
2016
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2016.jpg
Scouts used to think Tony Sanchez would hit .260 with a dozen homers per season. Don't feel bad, y'all; we once predicted Bobby Estalella would become a reasonable MVP candidate within five years.
2015
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2015.jpg
Let's play good news, bad news. Good news: Sanchez isn't the biggest bust from the 2009 draft (he was selected between Donavan Tate and Matt Hobgood). Bad news: He's not Zack Wheeler, Mike Leake or even Victor Black, the other player the Pirates drafted in that round. Good news: Sanchez receives so well his nickname ought to be Antenna. Bad news: He threw out just 13 percent of prospective basestealers, meaning his nickname could also be Broken Antenna. Good news: Sanchez spent more time in the majors in 2014. Bad news: He was bumped to first base late in the year by a pop-up prospect. Good news: Sanchez might eke out a career as a back-up catcher. Bad news: That's about the best-case scenario.
2014
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2014.jpg
Okay, so Sanchez is never going to live up to his draft slot; that doesn't mean he can't be a useful piece on good Pittsburgh teams. The Boston College product made his big-league debut in 2013, after Michael McKenry was hurt and before John Buck was added, and displayed some pop and defensive chops—he appeared to be a skilled receiver. Add in that Sanchez showed more offensive life than usual in the minors, and there's a chance he ascends beyond career backup status.
2013
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2013.jpg
In 2007, the Pirates selected Daniel Moskos instead of Matt Wieters. In 2008, Pittsburgh passed on Buster Posey to take Pedro Alvarez. In 2009, the Pirates finally picked a collegiate backstop. Sanchez never had the upside of Wieters or Posey. Rather, he appealed to the Pirates because of his modest price tag—they went overslot later on in the draft—and his safeness. Three-plus years later, Sanchez is still trying to break into the majors. He continues to get high marks for his makeup and defense, and all signs point to him becoming a field general in time, but he's nothing special at the plate. He might not be Wieters or Posey, but Sanchez could shore up the catching position starting at some point in 2013.
2012
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2012.jpg
Sanchez’s offense is a point of consternation for fans and analysts alike, since his value is driven by his defense. Good glove or not, spending 2009's number-four pick on the next Mike Matheny is an undesirable outcome. Complicating matters is Sanchez’s weak caught-stealing rates over the last two seasons. All scouting reports suggest Sanchez has a strong if sometimes inaccurate arm, receiving skills that make Hines Ward blush, and a plethora of intangibles, so it could be a mechanical issue more than a fatal flaw.
2011
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2011.jpg
Given an outside shot at reaching the big leagues by the end of the year, Sanchez played well in a season limited by injuries, his campaign ending in June when he suffered a broken jaw after being hit by a pitch. The 2009 first-round pick could be a special player, a catcher who can both hit and field, something that will come as quite a novelty to the Pirates after 366 games of Ryan Doumit's unconvincing "Look, mom! I dressed up as a catcher for Halloween!" routine. He has plus-plus receiving skills and a strong arm that lacks only accuracy. With career minor league rates of .312/.413/.494 (107 games), Sanchez has shown he is a discriminating hitter, but he doesn't figure to get a lot better from here. So, if the kind of catcher who gets on base at an above-average rate and pops 10 to 12 home runs per year is what you like, then you will like this kind of catcher.
2010
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/static/images/annual-covers/2010.jpg
The Pirates took a lot of heat from draftniks who felt they went cheap by taking Sanchez with the fourth overall pick last year. While Sanchez was very good in his pro debut, showing showed good power and even better defense, that\'s his what his ultimate projection depends upon. It\'s not as if scouts killed him, they simply saw him as a plus defender in the big leagues who hits .260-.280 with 15-20 homers a year. That\'s a very valuable player, but when you get to pick fourth, one is always better served by focusing on elite talent, as opposed to cost-cutting measures. Sanchez was a mid-first-round talent (or later), but his willingness to sign for a reasonable number apparently trumped most other considerations. Team president Frank Coonelly used to be in charge of enforcing MLB\'s silly slot system, and now that he\'s on the other side of the coin, he seems to always think he can beat the system. Pedro Alvarez beat him in his first draft in 2008, and by taking Sanchez in 2009, Coonelly just beat himself.\r\n