LISTEN: Joe Girardi Says Yankees Players' 'Mouths Are Wide Open' Watching Sanchez
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- He's not just catcher extraordinaire Gary Sanchez.
The Yankees rookie's bat has been so white hot he's given manager Joe Girardi no choice but to use him as a designated hitter, too.
"Just so you could play him more where you don't wear him down," Girardi said during his weekly appearance on Mike Francesa's WFAN show Thursday. "Because when you take his bat out of the lineup -- it's a huge bat."
Through 43 games, Sanchez is batting .337 and, after belting two homers Wednesday, became the first player in major league history to hit 19 homers in his first 45 games. (He played in two contests last season.)
Sanchez has played 30 games at catcher and 13 as a DH. And looking forward, Girardi knows said he will either be looking for a part-time designated hitter or a full-time DH who is "really productive throughout the whole year."
While many are in awe of what Sanchez has been accomplishing since being called up in early August, others are already growing accustomed to his heroics, Girardi said.
"I think guys' mouths are wide open and just kind of wowed at what he's done," the manager said. "I heard one of the guys say, 'Oh, that's not a surprise.' He hit a three-run homer the other day."
Francesa recalled Girardi telling him earlier this season that Sanchez "is different when he gets the cage."
"I didn't know he was that different," the Yankees manager quipped.
Girardi said one of the most impressive things about Sanchez is his poise in the batter's box.
"When you watch him hit, you can see there's no panic," he said. "You can see it. He doesn't mind having two strikes on him. He's waiting for a pitch to hit, and he's going to be patient. There's no panic."
To listen to the full interview with Girardi, in which he also discusses Dellin Betances, Masahiro Tanaka and more, click on the audio player above.
