When the New York Yankees utilized Gary Sanchez as a pinch-hitter for 1B on the last day of the season, October 3rd, he was the last of 254 players to make their major league debut in 2015.
Greg Bird popped out to 3B Manny Machado in the 9th inning of a 9-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The next day, he struck out against Chris Britton in the ninth inning of a 9-4 loss for the Yankees.
He didn’t even get a chance to play on the field. Another player made his playoff debut, Raul Mondesi, who did so in the World Series.
Sanchez, a catcher by trade, was signed as an amateur free agency by the Yankees on July 2, 2009. The following season, he began his professional career, splitting time between the GCL Yankees and the Staten Island Yankees.
He slugged 17 home runs in 82 games for the Charleston RiverDogs of the South Atlantic League in 2011, and 18 with 29 doubles between Charleston and the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League in 2012.
Between Tampa and the Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League in 2013, he hit 27 doubles and 15 home runs. He subsequently played the full 2014 season with Trenton, hitting .274/.330/.485 with 13 home runs and 65 RBIs in 110 games.
In 93 games between Trenton and the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2015, he hit .274/.330/.485 with 23 doubles, 18 homers, and 62 runs batted in, confirming his status as the Yankees’ presumed catcher of the future.
In the 2015 Futures Game, he was chosen to play for the World team. Late in the season, he made his major league debut, going 0 for 2 in two games.
The Yankees traded back-up catcher John Ryan Murphy on November 11th, freeing up the spot as starter Brian McCann’s understudy.
How Old Is Gary Sánchez?
Gary Sánchez is 29 years old. He was born on December 2, 1992.