Leaner Gary Sanchez ready to put defensive woes behind him
Gary Sanchez
TAMPA â  A leaner looking Gary Sanchez  said  he  didnât lose any weight this offseason  but perhaps  his  new build will help  him  behind the plate  where  he  struggled at times a year ago.
âThis offseason  I worked really hard on defense because I want to be better than last year ââ  Sanchez  said through a translator Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. âI want to fix all the little issues I had last year defensively and keep improving.â
Those issues included allowing as many passed balls (16) as any catcher in baseball  as well as the second most wild pitches (53). Those numbers improved in the second half  but they led former manager Joe Girardi to bench and publicly criticize  Sanchez .
With Aaron Boone in charge   Sanchez  said  he  holds no grudge against Girardi.
âLooking back at all the things Girardi said  I feel all that stuff he said was to make me be better ââ  Sanchez  said. âAt the end of the year  I thought he helped me get better. Itâs tough to go through  but you have to learn from that and keep getting better. You also have to move on.â
 Sanchez  missed much of the early part of last season with a strained biceps  and when  he  returned   he  was a force again at the plate.
While  he  couldnât duplicate the historic numbers  he  put up when  he  hit 20 homers in 229 plate appearances in  his  breakout rookie season   Sanchez  hit 33 homers in  his  first full season in the majors.
âItâs a great acquisition ââ  Sanchez  said of Stantonâs arrival from Miami. âItâs a big powerful bat in a lineup thatâs gonna contribute a lot. â¦ It caught me by surprise when I heard the news [of the trade].â
âWeâll try to do what we did last year ââ  Sanchez  said. âThereâs definitely motivation whenever you get to be a part of a playoff run and be part of that atmosphere. You want to keep doing that every year. I feel great and am ready to go.â
TAMPA â  A leaner looking Gary Sanchez  said  he  didnât lose any weight this offseason  but perhaps  his  new build will help  him  behind the plate  where  he  struggled at times a year ago.
âThis offseason  I worked really hard on defense because I want to be better than last year ââ  Sanchez  said through a translator Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. âI want to fix all the little issues I had last year defensively and keep improving.â
Those issues included allowing as many passed balls (16) as any catcher in baseball  as well as the second most wild pitches (53). Those numbers improved in the second half  but they led former manager Joe Girardi to bench and publicly criticize  Sanchez .
With Aaron Boone in charge   Sanchez  said  he  holds no grudge against Girardi.
âLooking back at all the things Girardi said  I feel all that stuff he said was to make me be better ââ  Sanchez  said. âAt the end of the year  I thought he helped me get better. Itâs tough to go through  but you have to learn from that and keep getting better. You also have to move on.â
 Sanchez  missed much of the early part of last season with a strained biceps  and when  he  returned   he  was a force again at the plate.
While   [TGT]   couldnât duplicate the historic numbers   [TGT]   put up when   [TGT]   hit 20 homers in 229 plate appearances in   [TGT]   breakout rookie season   Sanchez  hit 33 homers in  his  first full season in the majors.
âItâs a great acquisition ââ  Sanchez  said of Stantonâs arrival from Miami. âItâs a big powerful bat in a lineup thatâs gonna contribute a lot. â¦ It caught me by surprise when I heard the news [of the trade].â
âWeâll try to do what we did last year ââ  Sanchez  said. âThereâs definitely motivation whenever you get to be a part of a playoff run and be part of that atmosphere. You want to keep doing that every year. I feel great and am ready to go.â