Miami Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez is rostered in 48.1% of ESPN standard leagues despite the fact he has yet to pitch in a major-league game this season. Patience is rarely a virtue for fantasy baseball managers but, in this case, they clearly love the fact that Sanchez has been ranked highly on prospect lists for years (originally with the Philadelphia Phillies) and how his seven big-league starts for Miami in 2020 yielded intriguing results.
Sure, there are other pitchers with a big fat zero in the innings column who are rostered in myriad leagues, but New York Mets RHP Carlos Carrasco, Boston Red Sox LHP Chris Sale, Mets RHP Noah Syndergaard, Atlanta Braves RHP Mike Soroka and New York Yankees RHP Luis Severino have all surely established themselves as big-league pitchers capable of producing top-notch fantasy statistics. Is Sanchez actually established or a top-notch producer?
Well, when we break apart his two-month debut from last season, we can find things we would prefer that he would do better -- such as missing more bats and showing greater efficiency. Still, any pitcher doing much of anything for a mere seven starts is not exactly giving you a large sample size with which to work. Nevertheless, Sanchez is in the news this week and not because his debut seems imminent with big numbers sure to follow. Sanchez is not pitching at all, having been sidelined yet again, this time with inflammation in the back of his throwing shoulder.
Shouldering weighty expectations
Sanchez, 22, was always going to be somewhat overrated by fantasy managers this season due to some form of innings limit imposed by the Marlins. Now, it seems that Sanchez may not even approach any limit at all. In March, when Sanchez complained of soreness (and after an MRI), the organization shut Sanchez down. The Marlins said they targeted June for his 2021 debut. Well, it is now June and Sanchez paused his throwing program this week after more soreness. Something is wrong. We hope, of course, this is a minor thing, but doctors fix elbows all the time and we have fairly accurate timetables. Shoulder woes are far more problematic.
On Wednesday, my focus was on Padres starting pitchers Blake Snell and Dinelson Lamet and how they seemed to me to be rostered in far too many ESPN standard leagues based on their actual production. Well, I'm sorry to write that the same goes for Sanchez. He may be great in this and future seasons, but we are already one-third into this campaign and his valuable throwing shoulder still hurts. Do you think we will see him this month? Before the All-Star break? What about this season?
It's one thing to stash the likes of Carrasco and Sale on injured lists in fantasy leagues, expecting them to return from their maladies soon and provide those fantastic numbers of yesteryear. They may. Sanchez lacks that fancy asterisk denoting an IL placement. He is in the minor leagues. He costs you a bench spot. In addition, while the first impression he gave the Marlins (and fantasy managers) was a positive one, Sanchez boasts a long injury history. Many have questioned how his body would hold up to a typical starter's workload for a six-month season. Those questions are now back.
I watched at least half of Sanchez's innings last season and there was much to like. His four-seam fastball tickles triple-digits, and he mesmerized hitters with his changeup. There is a potential fantasy ace lurking here for sure. His conditioning concerned me when he was a Phillies prospect. When I stood next to him for interviews, he seemed shorter than his advertised 6-foot height but his listed weight of 234 pounds seemed accurate. I wondered if he would hold up as a starting pitcher.
Now I wonder if we gain any valuable information to the future of Sixto Sanchez in 2021. The Marlins may or may not climb into NL East contention this season, but I doubt they will push Sanchez, the haul of the J.T. Realmuto trade from February 2019. Perhaps we get good news soon, but if you are trying to win your fantasy league in 2021, it may be time to use that bench spot on someone else.
Other prospects in the news
As for other coveted Marlins pitchers, right-hander Edward Cabrera also has yet to pitch this season, his malady an inflamed nerve in his right biceps. He threw in an extended spring game this week and could debut for Triple-A Jacksonville soon. I now think it is more likely we see Cabrera than Sanchez in 2021. Max Meyer, their top 2020 pick and another right-hander, looks great at Double-A Pensacola, but it would be a quick rise if he debuts in the majors, especially as a starter, this season.
The Minnesota Twins may seek upgrades on several rotational options at some point this summer, should they climb into contention, and right-handed prospect Jordan Balazovic (if he's healthy and pitching well) is someone to watch. Balazovic has yet to debut at Double-A Wichita this season due to a back injury, but this is a smart pitcher who has often discussed analytics, spin rates, and the feel of the baseball. He is healthy now and should move quickly.
Keeping with the unfortunate theme of injured pitching prospects, the Los Angeles Dodgers may have promoted right-hander Josiah Gray recently, but he is out with a shoulder impingement. Gray has pitched once at Triple-A Oklahoma City, but he fanned 10 in that five-inning performance, and his prior minor-league stats excite. The issue for fantasy managers is that while the Dodgers seem likely to promote Gray this summer, it may be to be used in a problematic role, as it was in prior seasons for Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. The Dodgers have this luxury.
A week after discussing the bright future for Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and how he was hardly piling on big offensive stats, he delivered a three-homer game over the weekend and now has five in four games. If you roster players and you want them to improve their stats, just ask me to bury them! None of it means that Witt skips the Triple-A level and debuts in the majors soon -- or in 2021 at all -- but thought I would share that.
Shea Langeliers, catching for Atlanta's Double-A Mississippi club, homered three times on Wednesday, giving him seven blasts in 21 games, along with a nice walk rate. Atlanta had little choice but to rely on young William Contreras, and early returns are positive, but Langeliers could get his opportunity this summer. Do not roster him in ESPN standard leagues yet, but be aware in dynasty formats.
As my colleague Tristan H. Cockcroft noted on Wednesday, Seattle Mariners OF Taylor Trammell is back in the majors after raking at Triple-A Tacoma, and he is taking the place of Kyle Lewis, who may be out a while with another knee injury. Perhaps Trammell learned much and made tangible changes in his three weeks in the minors, but I still worry about too many strikeouts and a low batting average.