WCH
Cristopher Sanchez, P
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Scouting report
The Rays didn't have 40-man room for Sánchez, so they traded him to the Phillies (who needed bullpen depth) for toolsy Australian infielder Curtis Mead. In the year leading up to the deal, Sánchez's velo climbed from 88-93 to the 92-95 range, topping out at 98, in multi-inning relief stints and starts lasting as long as five innings. Then, even as the Phillies bullpen was getting shelled, Sánchez languished away at the alternate site with diminished velocity (he was only up to 95 as a starter there, sitting 91-94). He continued to pitch in LIDOM, working most often with his fastball, then his mid-80s changeup, then equal parts curveball and slider. I think he's likely to remain stretched out and be a spot starter during his option years and then move into the bullpen once he's out of them. That'll give Sánchez time to try to find a true bat-missing secondary, which he'll need in relief. If he can do that (I'm assuming an eventual velo bump in the 'pen), he could end up in a leveraged role, but I'm not projecting that right now. (Alternate site, LIDOM)