The Phanatic Magazine kicked off its 35 straight days of Phillies on Sunday, one article per day detailing each member battling for position as the season begins. Also, look for Michael Rushton's season outlook, which will cap the offseason look at the Phillies on Opening Day -- April 2nd against Atlanta.
DAY 9: Brian Sanches
By John Gottlieb
The Phanatic Magazine
As spring trudges along, we here at the Phanatic continue our in-depth breakdown of fringe players that may break camp with the Phillies come April. Simply put, if Philly is relying on Brian Sanches for anything more than mop-up duty, then Jimmy Rollins' words about being the team to beat may be a little far fetched.
Sanches had four stints with the club last season and was less than impressive. He started out strong, making his Major League debut on June 1, as he threw four scoreless innings while not giving up a hit in his first three outings. However, he allowed nine runs in 4 2/3 innings, spanning his next six outings.
The right-hander throws hard but he walked 13 guys in over 21 innings last season. He pounds the bottom of the strike zone with an above average fastball, but at times he relies too much on the heat. He also throws a curveball and a changeup.
He finished the season with a 5.91 earned run average in 18 contests, giving up 23 hits while striking out a batter an inning.
Sanches fared much better with Triple-A Scranton last season, going 3-2 with a 1.85 ERA and 19 saves in 36 games. He stuck out 52 batters in just under 44 innings. The Phils are hoping that he's not a AAAA pitcher.
Sanches started slowly this spring, going 0-1 with an 18.00 ERA in two contests. He's given up five hits and four earned runs in two innings for the Phils.
He's 28 and has toiled around the minors since being drafted in the second round of the 1999 draft by the Kansas City Royals.
Sanches will most likely have to wait for someone to get hurt before he gets a chance with the big club this season.
Tomorrow: Michael Bourn
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