White Sox: Yolmer Sanchez Provided Solid Infield Defense in 2017
White Sox utility infielder had a stellar season defensively at multiple infield positions. What will be next for versatile switch-hitter in 2018?
Chicago White Sox utility infielder Yolmer Sanchez had a solid season in 2017 at the plate and defensively. Sanchez hit a career-high .267/.319/.413 through 141 games for the Sox, but he also provided great value on defense.
Sanchez became the Sox starting third baseman after Todd Frazier was traded and he didn’t disappoint. Although he began the 2017 season at second base, Sanchez ended the year at third base. Sanchez was stellar defensively at multiple infield positions and will certainly play a big role for the Sox moving forward.
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The Sox will need a third baseman for 2018 and Sanchez showed this past season he could handle the hot corner. Sanchez appeared in 78 games at second base and 52 games at third base for the Sox in 2017. The 25-year-old also appeared in four games at shortstop and one game in right field.
Sanchez has been able to play multiple positions since making his debut in the 2014 season. At third base, Sanchez had a .977 fielding percentage. He had a .981 fielding percentage at second base. Sanchez committed just three errors at third base and six errors at second base this past season.
For the first time in his career, Sanchez’s dWAR was above 1.0 as he finished the 2017 season with a 1.8 dWAR. His previous best dWAR was 1.0 after the 2015 season. In 2016, Sanchez had a dWAR of just 0.2. Sanchez overall WAR for 2017 was 3.5, good for third best on the Sox behind Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia.
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The Sox will enter 2018 with the hopes of continuing to develop their young players. Sanchez should play an important role for the team next season and could start at third base on Opening Day. Sanchez could be a key player for the next Sox team that contends for the postseason, but for now, he will continue to provide solid defense at multiple infield positions.