Jesus Sanchez

Sanchez kicked the door down at Triple-A last season, slashing .348/.406/.652 with New Orleans to earn another look in Miami after he received a brief cup of coffee in 2020. The Marlins' return for Nick Anderson a couple years back, the outfielder saw his strikeout rate shoot up from 18.7% at Triple-A to 31.1% against big-league arms, which is pretty much as to be expected. Fortunately, Sanchez was able to make his connections count with a 12.7 Barrel% and .465 xwOBA on contact. Miami brought in Avisail Garcia already this offseason and may not be done looking for outfield help, potentially leaving Sanchez in danger of falling back to the minors or to a reserve role to begin the 2022 season. Sanchez has good speed for 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, though he has not used it much on the bases so far in his professional career. The swing-and-miss, lack of stolen-base speed and uncertainty of playing time provide obvious reasons to "yeah, but" a talented hitter on the rise.

Picked up from Tampa Bay in the deal that sent Nick Anderson cross-state, Sanchez made his big-league debut in 2020 but didn't do much to suggest Miami was going to come out a winner in that trade. The 23-year-old went a woeful 1-for-25, a year after limping to a .227/.311/.383 line over 149 plate appearances in his first look at Triple-A. At the lower levels of the minors, Sanchez flashed a plus hit tool and the athletic profile to someday provide above-average power, but as yet little of that has shown up against better quality pitching. The Marlins will be patient with him, and an actual minor-league season could get his development back on track, but barring a big turnaround Sanchez doesn't project to be anything more than a bench bat in the majors.

It often happens this way with prospects, but the closer Sanchez gets to the majors, the less appealing he has become in dynasty leagues. Raw talent is king in the lower levels, but Double-A and Triple-A pitchers have enough craft to take advantage of unrefined hitters who have not experienced failure. The Rays cashed Sanchez out at the trade deadline for quality big-league arms (Nick Anderson, Trevor Richards), and the early returns suggest they will not regret doing so. He uses the whole field, but struggles to impact the baseball. Sanchez hit 13 HR in 113 games as a 21-year-old at Double-A and Triple-A and did not attempt a steal in 35 Triple-A games. He is destined for an outfield corner, so his bat needs to carry him. He is still young and will get a chance to struggle and make adjustments in the majors, likely debuting this summer, but it would be a surprise if he had much success early in his career.

The only offensive skill Sanchez is not at least above-average at is patience. He has a quick bat and elite hand-eye-coordination, which allows him to make contact at an excellent clip (career 18.3 K% in full-season ball). The 6-foot-3 right fielder generates plus power to all fields and is adept at hitting same-handed pitching. Sanchez also happens to be a borderline plus runner, though he has only attempted 20 steals in 1,000 PA above rookie ball, which undersells his upside in that category. A 27-game run at Double-A to close out the season was the first time he hit below .300 in pro ball, and since he was the second-youngest hitter in the Southern League, that performance should carry little weight in his long-term evaluation. He will return to Double-A, and given the Rays' extreme organizational outfield depth, they won't rush him up the ladder. Sanchez has a chance to put up prime Adam Jones numbers in his peak seasons.

A 19-year-old with plus raw power and elite contact skills (17.8 percent strikeout rate) who led qualified Midwest League hitters with a .305 average needs to be taken very seriously, yet Sanchez still seems incredibly underrated. While he won't contribute with his legs in the same way peers like Taylor Trammell and Leody Taveras will, Sanchez's hit tool is special, and batting average is almost as scarce as speed these days. With a really quick bat and loose wrists through the zone, he is able to showcase excellent plate coverage, spraying the ball to all fields. He is better against righties, but posted a respectable .794 OPS against same-handed pitching, so a platoon may not be necessary. Sanchez's lean physique allows him to move fairly well now, but as his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame continues to fill out, he will start to access 25-plus homer power, while slowing down considerably. The Rays have not promoted him aggressively, but it would not be surprising if he took another developmental leap this year and accelerated his ascent to the majors.

The 19-year-old Sanchez's arrow trended upward for the second time in as many seasons, as he slashed .323/.341/.530 over 173 plate appearances for the Gulf Coast League Rays, while rapping out 18 extra-base hits overall, including a whopping eight triples. He was then promoted to the Appalachian League and performed even better, posting a 170 wRC+ with three home runs in 53 plate appearances, albeit with a .412 BABIP. His strikeout rate increased from 17.9 percent to 22.6 percent after the promotion, but that is still a manageable range for an 18-year-old who is producing at that clip. Sanchez is an above average runner, but his baserunning is one area where he'll look to improve in 2017, as he swiped only two bags on seven attempts last season. At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Sanchez is already close to physically mature, which is why he is already able to show such impressive game power for his age. This is the time to invest in dynasty leagues, as Sanchez will be in high demand if he continues to rake after an assignment to Low-A Bowling Green.