Gary Sanchez and Gerrit Cole on same page for first start, and that positive battery is a must for Yankees to succeed
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and catcher Gary Sanchez talk after their pitching session during spring training in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 16. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
TAMPA, Fla.
With all eyes on Gerrit Cole’s much-anticipated debut Monday night at Steinbrenner Field, perhaps the more intriguing storyline, and one worth additional scrutiny in the coming weeks, was happening 60 feet, 6 inches from the mound.
That’s where Gary Sanchez was positioned, and how he handles Cole and his own troubling medical history are a pair of questions that won’t be answered for a while.
We know what Cole is, and as long as the Yankees’ $324 million man is physically sound come Opening Day, there’s little doubt he’ll deliver big.
We’re more curious about his budding relationship with Sanchez, a partnership that has spectacular potential. Cole the perennial Cy Young candidate matched with Sanchez the 30-homer catcher.
Consider Monday night a first positive step. Cole whiffed two with a walk in his 20-pitch first inning and came away satisfied that it was an outing to build on with Sanchez, who had a nice block of a slider in the dirt on a strikeout.
“We were pretty much in sync,” Cole said. “The games don’t count, but they matter, so there’s some good stuff to be learned. Just try to keep communicating with Gary so we can hopefully read each other’s minds at some point.”
When told of Cole’s comment, Sanchez smiled.
“Reading each other’s minds — that would be great,” he said through an interpreter. “It’s one of those things that I want him to be comfortable executing pitches, and if we don’t get on the specific rhythm right away, we’ll just find a way.”
Few obsess about their craft to the extent that Cole does, but it’s not a one-way street. Those who work with him emphasize how much Cole is constantly asking questions in an effort to refine every aspect of his game. The Yankees’ battalion of analytical resources is a tremendous tool for someone like Cole, but whoever is behind the plate needs to be a trusted ally. These Grapefruit starts will be about forging that bond with Sanchez. That’s the plan, anyway.
“I think it’s important because Gerrit is a guy that likes feedback,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He wants to develop that rapport — nonverbal, verbal, what are you seeing. So it’s important that he gets that honest feedback and Gary gets familiar with his stuff — this is good, this isn’t what he wanted, those kind of things.”
What Sanchez already provides, when healthy, is the type of destructive power that any pitcher loves to have on his side. He led all MLB catchers last year with 34 home runs -- and 19 of those had an exit velocity of at least 110 mph, tying the Mets’ Pete Alonso for tops in the majors.
Cole, a data freak, can appreciate that. He’ll definitely enjoy seeing Sanchez go deep on a regular basis. The tricky part is making sure both are on the same page when Sanchez is behind the plate rather than beside it.
Sanchez has a rocket arm, but his overall defensive ability often comes into question, mostly because of his struggles with passed balls and blocking balls in the dirt. He’s been working on both issues with the Yankees’ new catching coordinator, Tanner Swanson, who is having Sanchez use a new crouch with one knee close to the ground to combat those problems.
“It’s a work in progress,” Sanchez said. “There were a couple of times where I felt I was in between, my rhythm was not as good. On some occasions the desired results were there.”
The physical adjustments, however, tend to be easier than the mental gymnastics, and the Yankees have paired Sanchez with Cole as much as possible to hopefully connect them on a psychological level, too.
“It’s a process, you know?” Sanchez said. “We chat about pitching philosophy and that kind of stuff. But there’s nothing like game action. You get here, you do everything you need to do, and then you keep adjusting. There’s always more to learn.”
Sanchez, entering his fifth major-league season, knows the drill by now. Come February, it’s all about getting up to speed with the pitching staff again, whether it’s the returning faces or the offseason imports. Someone of Cole’s stature is a category of his own, but a special talent also can make the acclimation process significantly smoother.
Cole has the ability to put the baseball precisely where he wants to, so Sanchez isn’t scrambling around back there. There’s not a lot of guesswork involved.
“At the beginning, you want to see what kind of movement they have, how their pitches act,” Sanchez said. “But on the other hand, someone like Cole, he has ability to pinpoint his pitches. They still have velocity behind them, but he can locate. In a way, it’s easier for me.”
That helps. Because this time of year is a relentless cram session for Sanchez, studying for an exam that never ends, and Cole is a test he needs to ace.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
