Despite scattering just five hits and a single run over eight standout innings this spring, Marlins starter Sixto Sanchez was optioned to the team’s alternate training site in Jacksonville, where he will begin his 2021 season, according to beat reporter Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Sanchez, who was named the No. 15 prospect in baseball by MLB.com earlier this year, delivered a phenomenal debut in 2020, working to a superb 3.46 ERA over seven starts for the Marlins, who exceeded all expectations by reaching the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
The decision to have Sanchez begin his year in the minors could be part of a larger plan to limit his innings, as many teams do with young starting pitchers. Another possible explanation would be Sanchez’s late start to spring training, the result of a false COVID positive that shelved him for several days early in Marlins camp. With Miami initially expected to employ a four-man rotation, a luxury afforded by its early-season schedule (which includes off days on April 4th and 9th), the 22-year-old should have an extra week or two to build up his pitch count before the Marlins inevitably summon him from Jacksonville.
Acquired from the Phillies as part of the return package for All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto in 2019, Sanchez shined in his first five turns through the Marlins’ rotation last summer (3-1, 1.69 ERA). However, he wasn’t as sharp in his final two, taking it on the chin in a loss to Washington (4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER) before experiencing similar struggles five days later in Atlanta (3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB in a no-decision). The right-hander’s pitch count exceeded 90 just once last season.
With Sanchez headed to the minors, the Marlins will presumably begin the year with Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez, Elieser Hernandez and Trevor Rogers in their starting rotation.
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