Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: All-International Free Agent Team

Center Field – Lolo Sanchez

Lolo Sanchez was signed back in 2015 from the Dominican. For the first four seasons of his career, Sanchez was a fleet-footed outfielder who displayed a solid ability to get on base. However, he hit for almost no power, as he had just 13 home runs through his first 323 games. But this past season saw Sanchez show off a ton of pop.

Through 437 plate appearances, Sanchez slashed .264/.372/.453 with a .365 wOBA and 124 wRC+. He blasted off 17 times, surpassing his 2016-2019 home run total in 219 fewer games. But he didn’t have to sacrifice his speed or plate patience to hit for more power. Sanchez still only struck out 16.5% of the time and swiped 30 bases for the third straight season. A 12.6% walk rate makes his near-elite level speed all the better.

Now I know what some of you might be thinking. Greensboro was a hitter-friendly environment. Of course, he was going to do well there. Well, Sanchez actually did much better when he was a guest rather than at home. As a guest, his OPS rose over 100 points from .769 at home to .876. Although the league as a whole was hitter-friendly, Sanchez still was a great hitter.

Sanchez saw time at all three outfield positions but has more than enough speed and glove to be a centerfielder long-term. There are still some questions about his power given his still poor exit velocities, but he did make massive changes in how he hits the ball. His 33.9% ground ball rate was a career-best by 7.5%. He also had a 25.1% line-drive rate and a 41% fly ball rate.

Sanchez might need to up his raw power, but his batted ball rates, along with his ability to reach base make him a potential outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’ll get his season kicked off at Double-A Altoona next season as one of their primary outfielders. If he proves that his 2021 season wasn’t a fluke, we might end up seeing him as a late-season call-up.