Thursday, October 2, 2014

#292 Rey Sanchez

About the Front: "I got it!" I hope you do, Rey Sanchez. Also, that pencil mustache would make John Waters proud.

About the Back: No batting gloves! I wonder if he conditioned his hands using the Moises Alou method.

Triple Play:

1. Throughout his career, Sanchez hit for average but did little else with the bat (.272/.308/.334 in parts of 15 seasons, 69 OPS+). But it was his defense that kept him in the game; from 1999-2001, while starting at shortstop for the Royals, he was a three-time league leader in defensive WAR.

2. Rey played for a dysfunctional Mets team in 2003. In one infamous incident, the infielder left his spot on the bench midgame and allegedly received a haircut in the clubhouse.

3. On June 11, 2004, Sanchez led the Devil Rays to an 8-7 win over the Rockies with a walkoff inside-the-park home run. It was the last such hit until Angel Pagan performed the feat for the Giants in 2013.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I had never encountered the name "Rey" before seeing this card. It can be short for Reynaldo or Reymond, but in Sanchez's case it's just plain Rey.

Bill James Said: "His range factor at short was the best of any major league player, his fielding percentage average." Translation: a number of his errors came on balls that his peers wouldn't have even reached.

On This Date in 1993: October 2. The top US single this week is "Dreamlover" by Mariah Carey. Ugh.

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