Saturday night in Cleveland, the Yankees lost their second straight game to the Indians (CLE 7, NYY 2) and their fourth straight game overall. They've scored only six runs in those four games. The offense has really sputtered of late.
The Indians scored their second run Saturday night on a passed ball. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Gary Sanchez let a pitch get under his glove, and Austin Jackson scampered home from third. Here's the video:
The passed ball was No. 12 on the season for Sanchez, the most in baseball. Keep in mind he missed just about the entire month of April with a biceps injury.
Here is the top of the passed-ball leaderboard:
- Gary Sanchez, Yankees: 12 in 553 2/3 innings
- Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers: 11 in 701 innings
No other player has more than nine passed balls this season. Sanchez ranks first in passed balls and 19th in innings caught, which is not a good combination.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who usually defends his players to the extreme, acknowledged Sanchez's passed ball issues following Friday's game, and went about as far as he'll ever go when he criticizes a player.
Girardi on Sanchez, who leads league in passed balls: "He needs to improve. Bottom line, he needs to improve." #Yankees
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) August 5, 2017
On Saturday general manager Brian Cashman chimed in and said Sanchez added too much muscle over the winter while losing too much flexibility.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman says Gary Sanchez adding 8 to 12 pounds of muscle has decreased the catcher's flexibility.
— George A. King III (@GeorgeAKingIII) August 5, 2017
Regaining that mobility figures to be a priority going forward. That's difficult to do during the season though, so it'll likely have to wait until the offseason.
While the passed balls are clearly an issue, the Yankees are not about to sit Sanchez in favor of his defensively superior backup Austin Romine anytime soon. Sanchez is hitting .267/.341/.493 with 17 home runs and has been among the top offensive catchers in baseball since being called up almost exactly one year ago.
One year ago today NYY called up Gary Sanchez for good. He's hit .282/.358/.560 with 36 HR since.
— River Ave. Blues (@RiverAveBlues) August 3, 2017
Leads all catchers in HR, RBI, OPS, WAR.
Keep in mind this is Sanchez's first full season in the big leagues, and most 24-year-old catchers struggle with something. Offense, defense, calling games, something. The job comes with a lot of responsibility, and it can be overwhelming for young players.
For now, the Yankees will work with Sanchez to improve his defense -- Girardi and Tony Pena, two ex-catchers, are on the coaching staff -- and live with the passed balls for the time being because he's been a great hitter, especially relative to other catchers. Clearly though, the Yankees are not happy with Sanchez's defense, and they're not keeping it secret.
