Pittsburgh Pirates Need to Leave Gaby Sanchez Off Postseason Roster
Charles LeClaire-USA Today Sports
Gaby Sanchez may be a great teammate and a wonderful motivator, but he should be left off of the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ postseason roster. The Pirates have much better options off the bench.
Sanchez is hitting .234 on the season with just seven home runs and 33 RBIs. He finally hit a home run Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, his first since Aug. 14. That is not nearly enough power from a corner infielder who has no speed and doesn’t hit for average. The Pirates tout Sanchez as a specialist against left-handed pitchers. Well, let’s see, Sanchez is hitting a whopping .258 against left-handed pitchers this season, including all of three homers. He is batting .254 as a pinch-hitter, but a majority of those hits came in the first half of the season.
The Pirates would be wise to go with a guy like Andrew Lambo on the postseason roster. Lambo has hit the ball hard since being recalled from Indianapolis earlier this month. He is 5-for-13 (.385) as a pinch hitter. If you include his starts at 1B and in right field, he has batted .290 overall. He also has plenty of pop in his bat, with 100 career minor league home runs, including 32 last year in Altoona and Indianapolis.
The Pirates could also keep Jose Tabata on the roster for the playoffs, giving them a right-handed bat off the bench. Tabata has the knack for getting key hits, whether leading off an inning with a hit or a walk or hitting with runners in scoring position. Tabata has hit .378 with runners in scoring position this season with 17 RBIs. Sanchez is hitting a meager .210 with runners in scoring position. With men on base, Tabata is batting .332 with men on base.
It would also make sense for manager Clint Hurdle to keep Clint Barmes on the roster to fill an infield utility role. Barmes, a solid fielder throughout his career, can play 2B, SS and 3B.
The bottom line is that Sanchez hurts this team more than he helps them. The Pirates can’t continue to turn a blind eye to another three-pitch, pinch-hit strikeout from Sanchez. Even when Sanchez makes contact, it is usually a broken-bat grounder or a harmless fly ball or pop-up. Sanchez should be behind during the playoffs.
Nate Vandergrift is a Pirates writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @natevandergrift, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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