Gary Sanchez Changing His Catching Stance Should Excite Yankees Fans

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez is known for being one of the best offensive backstops in the MLB. Behind the dish however, Sanchez can struggle mightily, as while he has an elite arm for throwing out runners, he lets too many balls get passed and often looks sluggish chasing them down.

In attempt to improve upon his defense, the Kraken has been implementing significant changes to his catching stance with help from Yankees catching coach Tanner Swanson.

Fans of the Bronx Bombers should rejoice, as Sanchez has been a defensive liability throughout his entire tenure with the Yankees. He has a history of making preventable errors in crucial situations when it comes to protecting the dish.

The biggest change Swanson wanted to switch up with the 27-year-old slugger was to have his right knee closer to the ground when receiving the ball.

Mastery of this will result in Sanchez having an easier time handling balls in the dirt. While he improved on blocking pitches that dropped low last season, he still let seven balls go passed him in 2019.

While El Gary has been a poor defender behind the plate for the Yankees, he earns his paycheck with his power bat. The Dominican slugger ended 2019 with 34 home runs in just 106 total games due to a lingering groin injury; adding consistent defense to his arsenal could make him the top catcher in all of baseball.

This new change to Sanchez's catching stance won't turn him into a defensive stud like Yadier Molina or Austin Hedges overnight, but if he's diligent about it, careless mistakes behind the plate could one day become a thing of the past. What a gift that would be for Yankee fans.