Angel Sanchez finally makes his debut

Phil Gurnee ♦ August 24, 2017 ♦ Leave a comment

When the Dodgers minor league system was horrible, Angel Sanchez was at least interesting.  This little thread from TBLA back in the fall of 2012 shows what I mean. Brandon was conducting a vote for the 9th best Dodger prospect and this was what he had to work with:

Again, the candidates for this vote are:

James Baldwin – OF (20 years old)

Alfredo Silverio – OF (24.5 years old)

Angelo Songco – 1B (23 years old)

Jonathan Garcia – OF (20 years old)

Angel Sanchez – RHP (22 years old)

Alex Castellanos – OF (25.25 years old)

Griff Erickson – C (23.5 years old)

Scott Van Slyke – OF/1B (25.25 years old)

Tim Federowicz – C (24.25 years old)

The only player to even touch the majors were SVS and Tim Federowicz.

Until today. Angel Sanchez finally made his major league debut, but it was with the Pirates, not the Dodgers. Sanchez had been traded by the Dodgers on July 6th, 2013 for Rickey Nolasco.

Here is how he got to the Pirates. A feel good story as they say.

At first, Sanchez said, “I couldn’t talk.” In his mind, he retraced the seven years since signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010. He may have been a month away from a September promotion with the Pirates in 2015 before he underwent Tommy John surgery. With his aunt waiting on the other end of the line, Sanchez finally said, “I’m going to the big leagues.”

I was a fan of Angel Sanchez, he had signed late for a Dominican, seemed to have a good head on his shoulders but I had forgotten all about him until Eric Stephen tweeted that he used to be in the Dodger organization. It still didn’t click with me that this was the Angel Sanchez who I use to tout until I saw him pitch.

How about that. I had lost touch with him after he left the Dodgers and just assumed he was back on the Island, but no, at the age of 27 he finally made the show.

Good for him, and best of luck going forward. I doubt he’ll have fond memories of the bombs that Grandal and Granderson blasted off of him.