After a historically awful 2020 season, Gary Sanchez’s name has headlined in both trade rumors and resurgence bandwagon twitters. Although much of the focus has been on his offensive production, his defense needs to improve if he has any hope of staying in the Bronx.
It’s obvious that Yankees pitchers are significantly more effective with backup catchers behind the plate. There’s a reason why Gerrit Cole prefers Kyle Higashioka and the stats prove it. Cole had a 3.91 ERA with Sanchez and a 1.00 ERA with Higashioka. Cole is a $324 million dollar investment. The Yankees can’t afford to have him be a slightly above average pitcher with a high 3 ERA.