#9: RHP Aaron Sanchez

Name: Aaron Sanchez
Position: Right-handed SP
Acquired: 1st round (2010)
Opening Day age: 18
Height/weight: 6'4", 190 lbs
Best/worst tool: Fastball/command

Scouting Report:

Aaron Sanchez is a pitcher who oozes natural talent and projectibility, but is seriously lacking in polish. He features a fastball that sits in the low 90's and touches 93 mph while showing run and sink, an offering that should only improve as he matures and fills in his long, lanky frame. Sanchez' primary breaking ball is an average curveball with a 1-7 drop that he can throw for called strikes. He also throws a changeup, but he rarely uses it and the pitch needs a lot of work. Sanchez has a good mound presence, keeping his composure during rough innings and rarely having emotional outbursts. Sanchez' biggest flaw is his command, which is primarily due to inconsistency with his delivery. The command is below average now, but could improve with a few years of professional coaching.

2010 Stats: 25 IP, 23 H, 6 ER, 1 HR, 17 BB, 37 K
2.90 GO/AO, 2.16 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 13.32 K/9

2010 Analysis:

Sanchez made 10 starts between the Blue Jays GCL affiliate and Auburn, but due to inning restrictions placed on the high draft pick he threw only 25 innings. His pitching line matched his scouting report, as he walked a lot of batters due to his below average command, and struck out a lot of batters while posting a strong ground ball ratio due to his above average fastball with movement.

2011 Stats: 10 IP, 18 H, 13 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 6 K
1.88 GO/AO, 11.70 ERA, 2.50 WHIP, 5.40 K/9

2011 Analysis:

Aaron Sanchez debuted in 2011 for the short season Bluefield Blue Jays in the Appalachian (Rookie) League. He has struggled across the board, with the only positive being his > 1.00 GO/AO ratio in all 3 of his appearances. With that being said, the sample size is far too small to make any real judgements on his 2011 season thus far.

Future outlook:

Aaron Sanchez is without a doubt a project prospect. He is loaded with potential and projectibility, but he has many flaws to correct over the next few years if he is to ever see the major leagues. His fastball is good now and should only improve, but he'll need to put a lot of effort into improving both his curveball and changeup, as more established hitters will sit on the fastball if that's all he can throw. Additionally, Sanchez will need to work on his pitching mechanics with professional coaches in order to establish a more easily repeatable delivery, in hopes of improving the command of all his pitches, particularly his fastball. Luckily for him, he is only turning 19 during the 2011 season. His age, in addition to the wealth of pitching prospects Toronto has in the middle/upper minors, should enable him to take his time during development without any rushing. If Sanchez makes the major leagues prior to 2015, I will be shocked. He would be 22 on Opening Day 2015, so even 2016 might be more realistic.

Perfect world projection: A fringe #2/#3 starter, if his offspeed pitches develop and he can get his command to consistently average.

Worst case scenario: The worst case for Sanchez would be that his development stalls and he never reaches the upper minors.

Most likely outcome: Sanchez is all about projectibility, so it's hard to supply a most likely outcome. As with most highschool pitchers, it's less than 50/50 that he ever sees the majors leagues.