LISTEN: Girardi Sings Gary Sanchez's Praises On WFAN
LAKE COMO, N.J. (WFAN) -- Yankees manager Joe Girardi has been around professional baseball for 30 years and says he's not sure he's ever seen someone play as well as catcher Gary Sanchez through his first 20 or so games in the majors.
"He has been unbelievable offensively, unbelievable defensively, and fundamentally he does a ton of things right, and there's a lot of talent there," Girardi told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Friday. "So this looks bright."
Entering Friday night's home game against Baltimore, the rookie was batting .389 with nine home runs.
The buzz about Sanchez as a prospect had died down over the last couple of years as some observers more eagerly anticipated the arrivals of players such as Greg Bird, Luis Severino and Aaron Judge to the Bronx.
When asked if he was surprised by Sanchez's success, Girardi said no.
"I just think people forgot how young he was," the Yankees manager said. "And I think people expected a ton early on when he was 20, 21 because they saw what he did when he was 18 or 19. But it was probably unfair expectations. It takes time to grow as a catcher.
"He has a really good feel back there. Obviously, we think he does a tremendous job catching the baseball, blocking. His throwing is off the charts. What we've been really impressed (with) is his ability working with the staff and how he's done calling pitches and recognizing certain things. And that's what takes time. And he has the confidence of our pitching staff, and that's a great thing, especially for a young catcher."
To listen to the full interview, click on the audio player above.
