Almost five years to the day of his MLB debut, Ali Sanchez is back with the New York Mets. In need of some bodies to get through the remainder of the season whether it’s with or without Francisco Alvarez, the team has brought Sanchez back on a minor league deal after a couple of years as a journeyman. A lifetime .185 batting average in the majors hardly stirs up much excitement.
In the weirdest year of many of our lives was the most unique baseball season. The forgettable 60-game season featured an MVP-caliber performance from Dominic Smith and one of the worst pitching staffs in recent memory. Mixed in was the debut of Sanchez who, on August 25, looked out of his element versus the Miami Marlins.
Hopefully Ali Sanchez has learned a few things since last playing with the Mets
As part of a twin bill against the Marlins, Sanchez got the start and Marlins speedster Jon Berti took full advantage. A leadoff walk against Jeurys Familia gave Berti a chance to do the impossible. He stole second base with no one out. He swiped third with one out. Finally, he stole home with two outs. It gave the Marlins a 3-0 lead which would end up as the final score of the game.
The incident wouldn’t scare off the Marlins from employing Sanchez temporarily in 2024, where their catcher situation was unimaginably awful. Sanchez continued his trend of playing like a Four-A player. Despite poor major league numbers, he has done well in Triple-A. A .265/.329/.365 slash line in 1266 trips to the plate one level below the majors isn’t so terrible. In comparison to Hayden Senger who has hit .238/.296/.367 in 360 plate appearances, it is an upgrade offensively even if minor.
The Mets won’t know for sure whether or not Alvarez can rejoin the club in any capacity for another few days. The signing of Sanchez is an easy precaution to take, but one we hope never goes into action. With the Mets set to play the Chicago Cubs at the end of September, let’s hope neither Sanchez nor Berti are on their respective big league rosters.