Jeff Tully
Throughout his baseball career, Freddy Sanchez has been a consistent
performer, rarely missing games because of illness or injury.
However, the former Burbank High and Glendale Community College
star has had to sit and watch the 2004 major league season go by, as
the 26-year-old has been sidelined following offseason surgery.
Sanchez -- who played shortstop, second base and third base for
the Boston Red Sox before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in
July -- began his rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Nashville
on June 20.
He had previously appeared in only one game for the organization
-- going two for five with a double and a run scored Aug. 3 against
Colorado Springs -- after being acquired last year at the trade
deadline.
He missed the remainder of the season because of tendinitis in his
right ankle, and had surgery to remove a bone spur during the winter.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Sanchez and the Pirates' organization
were hoping his ankle would be healed so he could start the season
with the club on opening day. However, the ankle was slow to recover,
and he was forced to remain in Bradenton, Fla., for extended spring
training.
A second baseman by trade, Sanchez -- a two-time minor-league
player of the year in the Red Sox organization -- will find a lot of
company at the position when he finishes his rehab in Nashville. The
Pirates already have Bobby Hill, Jose Castillo and Abraham Nunez at
that position.
Sanchez's stay in Nashville can only last a maximum of 20 days,
meaning, if all goes well, he would be on track to make his Pirates'
debut just before the All-Star break.
Coming into Sunday's doubleheader with Nashville in Pacific Coast
League action, Sanchez was batting .167 (two for 12) with two runs
scored and a run batted in.
The 1996 Foothill League Player of the Year at Burbank, Sanchez
was selected in the first-year player draft by the Atlanta Braves in
the 30th round. However, instead of signing a contract, Sanchez
attended GCC. He helped lead the Vaqueros to a share of the Western
State Conference title and was named WSC Southern Division Player of
the Year in 1998, batting .407 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs.
