*rubs hands together, flour residue and sweat mix together forming pizza dough, places pizza dough in oven, pulls out pizza* Hey, I got an excitement pizza for Aaron Sanchez! Or maybe I should just wash my hands. Nah, this is an excitement pizza! Now, hold on, before you start stuffing your mouth with this excitement pizza, we should discuss why it’s so delicious. Last year in a two-month-long foodie festival that is called, A Taste of the Majors, Sanchez had a 1.09 ERA with a 7.4 K/9 in 33 IP. Hey, boring, drop your R because I have a boing! Know what his fastball averaged? 97 MPH. This is weird, I hate camping, but I’m sure pitching tents! I kinda just want to stare at the words-slash-numerals “97 MPH fastball” for a little while longer. Okay, kids might be reading so I need to move on. I’m just feeling so frisky. (Frisky should be spelled frisque; you messed up, English language.) Unfortch, Sanchez was working in middle relief last year with the Blue Jays. “Don’t play in a Holds league, Grey, let’s move on!” Wait a second, Jumpy McJumpstein, Sanchez was predominately a starter in the minors, and the Blue Jays were trying to keep his innings down. Jumpy McJumpstein, “Okay, I’ll calm down. Plus, that Third Eye Blind song just came on ’90s on 9!” Anyway, what can we expect of Aaron Sanchez for 2015 fantasy baseball?
Does sorta come down to in what role the Blue Jays are going to use him. He could be anywhere from a lights-out closer with Janssen entering free agency, a Brain Freeze, a number three starter, a barely fifth starter or a middle reliever. Blue Jays GM Anthopoulos said Sanchez will be stretched out in spring training and then Anthopoulos sprayed a cut on his hand with Windex, spit on the ground and threw a glass into his fireplace. Geez, he’s such a Greek stereotype! Sanchez’s value is tied to how he’s used. I think he’s best used as a closer due to his stuff. Not just the overpowering fastball, but also his control, which was a bit of a mess in the minors. In Triple-A last year, he had a 4.7 BB/9 and 5.5 in Double-A. Those are awful rates. What I can infer from those is if he needs to throw six to seven innings, things go pear-shaped with his control and he starts to walk the house. Okay, before the excitement pizza is completely cold, let’s mangia! If he works as the closer, he can walk a guy or two, and still be effective since he only has to get out three guys. Making him the closer, would be a huge move by the Blue Jays and would put Sanchez firmly on everyone’s fantasy radars. No closers slip through the cracks, especially not ones with a 1-something ERA last year. So, he’s a donkeycorn or a forgettable starter. Who is, Bruce Jenner? Pick a role! This makes it hard for me to project him for 2015. For the first time ever, I’m going to give you three projections. As a starter: 6-8/4.22/1.38/134 in 150 IP; as a closer: 3-2/3.12/1.17/52 and 36 saves or as a middle reliever: 6-2/3.49/1.24/70. Obviously, I’m hoping for closer, but am prepared to stream him as a starter or middle reliever.
