Rookie Catcher Gary Sanchez Named AL Player Of The Week

Gary Sanchez, the New York Yankees’ newest rookie catcher, was named the American League Player of the Week on Monday.

Rookie Catcher Gary Sanchez Named AL Player Of The Week

The 23-year-old Dominican, who has only played 19 games with the Yankees, has been hitting .523 with four home runs, six RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base in six games.

On Monday, Sanchez hit two home runs in a 7-5 loss to the Mariners in Seattle. With that, the youngster set a new record as a player for the Yankees.

Thanks to his impressive skills on both batting and pitching, Sanchez has now displaced Brian McCann as the Yankees’ starting catcher and has everyone in the organization excited for the future.

Major League Baseball also tweeted some of his other accomplishments, like the fact that Sanchez joins Joe DiMaggio as the only other Yankee in history to have recorded more than 50 total bases in their first 19 games.

Sanchez is also the first Yankees catcher since Thurman Munson in 1976 to win the AL Player of the Week award, and only the second ever to receive the honor.

Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray, 24, won the equivalent NL award this week.

“Obviously we’ve seen what he’s done in the weeks that he’s been here and he’s been really impressive,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “Well deserved.”

Among AL leaders last week, Sanchez ranked first in batting average, slugging percentage (1.190) and on-base percentage (.600), tied for second in total bases (25) and extra-base hits (6), and tied for third in home runs and hits.

“It’s hard to believe with the catchers that we’ve had here and some of the success that we’ve had here with the catchers,” Girardi said of the fact that Sanchez was only the franchise’s second player to ever receive the award. “They’ve put up some big numbers. I think about guys that I played with or coached, I think about Jorge (Posada) and Russell (Martin), I think about Mac (Brian McCann). They’ve put up some pretty big numbers, and to never to be player of the week, that’s unusual.”

If he continues playing this way, Sanchez is sure to have a great career ahead of him.

SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 22: Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees hits a home run against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Safeco Field on August 22, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)