Gary Sanchez has become the most popular whipping boy amongst New York Yankees fans. His lackluster offensive capabilities in the 2019 postseason campaign brought newfound vigor to Yankees fans calling for his benching. What is utterly perplexing is Sanchez is currently on pace to match most of the career statistics Mike Piazza put up. And Piazza is a Hall of Fame catcher.
Let’s start with Sanchez’s biggest bugaboo, his defense.
Sanchez made vast improvements to his defense last year, something overlooked by many. After leading catchers the past two seasons in passed balls (16 and 18 for 2017 and 2018), Sanchez recorded a mere seven passed balls all of last season.