• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chicago Sports Today

Chicago Sports News continuously updated

  • Bears
  • Baseball
    • Cubs
    • White Sox
  • Basketball
    • Bulls
    • Sky
  • Blackhawks
  • Colleges
    • DePaul
    • Illinois
    • Loyola
    • Northwestern
    • Notre Dame
    • UIC
    • Valparaiso
  • Soccer
    • Fire
    • Red Stars
  • Team Stores

Could Yolbert Sánchez factor in at Second for the White Sox?

April 30, 2022 by Sox On 35th

The post Could Yolbert Sánchez factor in at Second for the White Sox? appeared first on Sox On 35th.

Yolbert Sánchez has, at least compared to several other Cuban White Sox prospects, been a bit of an afterthought. Sánchez was relatively old for a signing out of Cuba without a MLB-ready skillset, and his long-term batting acumen was regularly questioned by scouts. The industry-wide best-case scenario for Sánchez was for his defense to carry him to a MLB utility infielder role.

Now twenty-five and recently promoted to AAA Charlotte, Sánchez has maintained his calling card of plus defense at both shortstop and second base, but with newfound plate discipline and a suddenly intriguing overall profile at the plate. The transformation really began last year, which was the first chance Sánchez had to play stateside, full-season baseball since his signing. After hitting reasonably well in A+ and AA (.308/.352/.419 with 9 home runs, 42 runs batted in, and a .771 OPS across 101 games and 394 plate appearances) considering he was arguably just a tad old for the levels, Sánchez finished the year against some of the league’s top prospects in the Arizona Fall League (AFL).

3 hit day for Yolbert Sanchez in Charlotte for his first day as a #Knight. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/uDCd26HU7j

— White Sox Daily (@dailywhitesox) April 26, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

While AFL games are more about how players look against solid competition rather than results or statistics — especially given the extremely small sample size — it is still notable that Sánchez entered the league with his primary problem on offense (outside of a lack of power) being a lack of on-base skills. Yet, he walked 10 times against only two strikeouts in 45 plate appearances. This was enough to at least pique my interest — was Sánchez simply a more experienced hitter taking advantage of erratic pitchers, or did he actually make a significant improvement?

Prior to his recent promotion to AAA Charlotte, Sánchez was hitting .353/.508/.373 in AA with a .880 OPS and 163 wRC+ across 67 plate appearances. While the sample is small once again, the most important aspect of these numbers is Sánchez’s 13 walks to only seven strikeouts. After walking just 3.2% of the time in his 2021 AA plate appearances, Yolbert Sánchez’s walk rate increased over six times to 19.4% in 2022.

Here’s a couple swings from top 30 #WhiteSox prospect Yolbert Sanchez. He was highly touted as a defender when signed out of the international market, but Sanchez is showing strong bat-to-ball skills the past season-plus.

Credit @caleb_probst for the video: pic.twitter.com/3qdhuCDHkJ

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) April 21, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Of course, even had he not been promoted so soon, it would be reasonable to expect such a gaudy walk rate to decrease over time. However, Sánchez is still likely a more patient hitter than he was a year ago, and if he can maintain a double-digit walk rate in AAA, his on-base skills combined with his defense-first profile should be enough to earn him a look with the White Sox. I do not expect Sánchez to turn in even league-average offense in MLB, but if he can take his singles and throw in a decent amount of walks, he will already be a superior option to the trio of García, Mendick, and Harrison.

Leury García‘s strength is his versatility, which renders his defense at any one position below-average. Danny Mendick is another defense-first player, but grades slightly lower as a fielder than Sánchez and offers little on offense. Josh Harrison may be a better option for second base than Yolbert Sánchez at the moment, but should Harrison’s struggles extend into the summer, Sánchez would be worthy of an opportunity provided his performance in AAA is stable.

Yolbert Sanchez hits a shallow liner single that brings in Jagger Rusconi. #Barons up 4-2. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/uLecZvheiO

— White Sox Daily (@dailywhitesox) April 21, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

While it is still unlikely that Sánchez is anything but a utility player long-term, the current lack of certainty for the White Sox at second base should lead to him getting a chance to prove himself this season. With plus defense, decent contact skills, and newfound discipline at the plate that could mitigate his lack of power, Yolbert Sánchez’s potential as a short-term second base option is something worth monitoring as the season progresses.


Featured Photo: @@laurawolffphoto /Twitter

Follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more!

The post Could Yolbert Sánchez factor in at Second for the White Sox? appeared first on Sox On 35th.

Filed Under: White Sox

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • White Sox Sign Kyle Tyler To Minor League Deal
  • Jonrón dentro del parque de Bailey da victoria a Gigantes sobre Filis
  • Josh Giddey not expected to sign for $30 million annually?
  • Josh Giddey not expected to sign for $30 million annually?
  • Keith conecta jonrón y remolca tres en la quinta victoria consecutiva de Tigres 4-2 sobre Rays

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • CHGO
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Chicago Sun-Times
  • 247 Sports
  • 670 The Score
  • Bleacher Report
  • Chicago Sports Nation
  • Da Windy City
  • NBC Sports Chicago
  • OurSports Central
  • Sports Mockery
  • The Sports Daily
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today
  • WGN 9

Baseball

  • MLB.com - Cubs
  • MLB.com - White Sox
  • Bleed Cubbie Blue
  • Cubbies Crib
  • Cubs Insider
  • Inside The White Sox
  • Last Word On Baseball - Cubs
  • Last Word On Baseball - White Sox
  • MLB Trade Rumors - Cubs
  • MLB Trade Rumors - White Sox
  • South Side Sox
  • Southside Showdown
  • Sox Machine
  • Sox Nerd
  • Sox On 35th

Basketball

  • NBA.com
  • Amico Hoops
  • Basketball Insiders
  • Blog A Bull
  • High Post Hoops
  • Hoops Hype
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball
  • Pippen Ain't Easy
  • Pro Basketball Talk
  • Real GM

Football

  • Chicago Bears
  • Bears Gab
  • Bear Goggles On
  • Bears Wire
  • Da Bears Blog
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • NFL Trade Rumors
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Focus
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Total Bears
  • Windy City Gridiron

Hockey

  • Blackhawk Up
  • Elite Prospects
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • My NHL Trade Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • Second City Hockey
  • The Hockey Writers

Soccer

  • Hot Time In Old Town
  • Last Word On Soccer - Fire
  • Last Word On Soccer - Red Stars
  • MLS Multiplex

Colleges

  • Big East Coast Bias
  • Busting Brackets
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Inside NU
  • Inside The Irish
  • Last Word On College Football - Notre Dame
  • One Foot Down
  • Saturday Blitz
  • Slap The Sign
  • The Daily Northwestern
  • The Observer
  • UHND.com
  • Zags Blog

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in