By: Jay Jaffe
In his brief career, Sanchez has homered once for every 10.0 plate appearances, a frequency that tops career record-holder Mark McGwire (once per 10.6 PA) and the slugger he supplanted, Babe Ruth (once per 11.8 PA). Sanchez’s line in 43 games this years is straight out of a videogame: .337/.410/.747 for a 199 OPS+ and 3.0 Wins Above Replacement. That last figure prorates to 11.3 WAR per 162 games, or 10.4 per 650 PA; Mike Trout's numbers this year (10.1 WAR in 149 games and 638 PA) prorate to 11.0 and 10.3, respectively.
Sanchez isn't likely to maintain that breakneck pace over a full season, of course—even 650 PA in a year is unlikely, given that just two players have reached that level in the past eight years while spending the bulk of their time behind the plate. But what Sanchez has done has certainly put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation, even in a partial season. Though he's 19th in plate appearances among AL rookies, his 19 homers rank second.
Read Full Article
Leave a comment