By Paul Gotham
Alex Sanchez, Jr. (Syracuse Jr. Chiefs ’12) knows a thing or two about patience. After waiting out three days of the 2013 Major League Baseball only to have his name go unheard, the Hialeah, FL resident spent the months of June and July waiting for a phone which never came.
Just when it seemed like his opportunity passed, Sanchez, Jr. received his chance.
The Chicago Cubs offered a free agent deal to the 6’1” 190 middle infielder early last week, and Sanchez is off to Arizona where he will play rookie ball with the Arizona League Cubs.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Sanchez said recently by phone. “A week and a half ago I thought it was all over. I thought the dream was dead. I was facing reality and looking for a job. I was kinda putting baseball in the rearview mirror, and then comes a quick turnaround like this. It was really unexpected but much appreciated.”
The switch-hitter led the Ave Maria Gyrenes, an NAIA school in the Sun Conference, with a batting average of .386 including 21 extra-base hits and 37 RBI. Still, Sanchez knew the MLB draft offered no guarantees.
“I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t disappointed,” Sanchez said when recalling his feelings at the end of the draft. “I looked back and reflected on my end. I didn’t have any regrets in terms of what I did. I worked my butt off. Things happen outside of your control.”
Sanchez led the New York Collegiate Baseball League in 2012 with a batting average of .444. He finished in the league’s top five with 42 RBI. He started 41 games (including playoffs) for Casey Scott’s NYCBL Champion Syracuse Jr. Chiefs.
“He’s not going to go up there and hit the ball 450 feet,” Scott commented. “But he’ll come up with a guy on second base and drive the breaking ball the other way and score the run. (He does) the kinds of things that are lost in the game sometimes. He is smart. He could think the game of the baseball which is odd for a kid that age in this generation. He thought right along with us as a coaching staff, and he was always right on the same page with us.”
Sanchez earned first team all-league honors in his first and only summer of competitive collegiate ball. He led the Jr. Chiefs to a record of 28-12 and the Eastern Division title. The Jr. Chiefs went on to defeat their cross-town rival Syracuse Salt Cats before eliminating Geneva’s Red Wings and sweeping the Niagara Power in the NYCBL championship.
“The thing he does at the professional level is field the baseball,” Scott continued. “He’s got great range up the middle. He’s an extremely hard worker.”
“One of the greatest decisions I ever made was to play in the NYCBL,” Sanchez stated. “I learned a great deal from Coach Scott and Coach (Mike) Meola. I was fortunate to have them as coaches. Not only were they great coaches and great leaders, they really taught, and I’m pretty sure I can speak for the whole team, us to be students of the game. The game is more mental than anything. You got to be strong and capable physically, but you got to be just as capable mentally if not more so.”
Sanchez joins Jr. Chief teammate, Tim Locastro, in the pro ranks. The Toronto Blue Jays chose Locastro in the 13th round (385th pick). The Auburn, NY plays with the Bluefield Blue Jays in the Rookie Appalachian League. In 39 games, the 6-1, 175 pound Locastro is hitting .297 with a home run and 12 RBI. He has 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
Sanchez also joins Dan Fiorito (Syracuse Salt Cats ’11-’12) as recent late-season free signings from the NYCBL. Fiorito inked a contract with the New Yankees last August. He currently plays in the Advanced-A Florida State League with the Tampa Yankees. Fiorito had a brief stint at the Triple-A level earlier this season.
For now, Sanchez is getting game ready. His focus is on batting practice and pre-game workouts. He is keeping everything in perspective.
“My parents are really grateful,” Sanchez noted. “They’re really happy for me. They sacrificed so much for me when I was a kid – taking me to games and doing everything for me. The least I can do is work my tail off. I know a lot of things need to happen beyond your control, but even though the circumstances were this late, it’s still an opportunity I didn’t have a week and a half ago.”
The NYCBL is part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB) which oversees the rules and policies of ten different summer leagues: the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, Cape Cod Baseball League, Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, Florida Collegiate Summer League, Great Lakes Collegiate Summer League, New England Collegiate Baseball League, Southern Collegiate Baseball League, Sunbelt Baseball League, and the Valley League Baseball.
These ten leagues provide a variety of competition levels that help prepare young players for life in professional baseball. One in every six Major League players has spent at least one summer playing in the Cape Cod League
Current major league players Tim Hudson, Hunter Pence and Rajai Davis all spent a summer in the NYCBL. In all, more than 100 NYCBL alums dot rosters in Major and Minor League Baseball.
The NYCBL, sending players to the pros since 1978.
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