Say hello to Sixto Sanchez, who’s finally back on the mound this Spring with the Miami Marlins

Well that’s certainly a sight for sore eyes, right? Former Philadelphia Phillies No. 1 prospect and current Miami Marlins pitcher Sixto Sanchez was on the mound today throwing to live batters during Spring Training – something that Sanchez hasn’t done in a very long time at the major league level.

Before we get into it, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit a trade that sent catcher JT Realmuto to Philadelphia in return for Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro, and Will Stewart. Not going to touch on Alfaro or Stewart but if you want to get a refresher and learn where they are now, check the 3 and 5 year breakdowns below.

• 3 Years Later: Phillies acquire JT Realmuto for top prospect Sixto Sanchez >>
• 5 Years Later: Phillies acquire JT Realmuto for top prospect Sixto Sanchez >>

Phillies send ‘generational talent’ and future No. 1 starter Sixto Sanchez to Miami

On February 7th, 2019 the Philadelphia Phillies acquired All-Star catcher JT Realmuto from the division rival Miami Marlins in exchange for the Phillies’ top prospect, Sixto Sanchez.

At the time, Phillies fans weren’t exactly thrilled with the trade, ignoring the fact that no prospect is untouchable. There were very few fans who actually wanted to let Sixto Sanchez leave Philadelphia, even more so when he was remaining in the National League East as a member of the Miami Marlins.

Their concerns were warranted. Sixto Sanchez signed with the Phillies organization in 2015 for a whopping $35,000 and instantly shined in the minor leagues. He DOMINATED rookie ball as a 17-year-old allowing only 3 ER over 54 innings.

As the Phillies struggled to do much of anything for 10 straight seasons, in 2020, Sixto Sanchez did something that no Phillies pitcher did in nearly a decade by pitching in a postseason baseball game.

His first of two starts, was an NL Wild Card Game in which he dazzled through five innings, allowing zero runs and only four hits. In his second postseason start, he allowed four earned runs in just three innings against the Braves.

With Sanchez, just 21-years old, it was hardly a reason for concern. But like so many pitchers, injuries can postpone or even completely derail a promising career.

The Sixto Sanchez Injury Bug

In July 2021, the Marlins announced that Sanchez would miss the entire 2021 season after undergoing shoulder surgery on his throwing arm – a terrible turn of events after being viewed as the top candidate to win the NL Rookie of the year Award.

At the time, there was still no doubt that when healthy, Sixto Sanchez had the pure ability to be an elite pitcher at Major League Baseball’s highest levels but unfortunately, he hasn’t been healthy since.

Major League Baseball fans haven’t seen Sixto Sanchez on the mound since the 2020 season that I mentioned above.

Since then, Sanchez has thrown one inning of competitive baseball, where he struck out two batters with the Marlins AA affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, at the end of the 2023 season. 

In full recovery mode, there’s a chance that Sanchez could be poised for an MLB return in the 2024 season but at this point in time, it will be difficult to crack the Marlins rotation.

Even with Miami’s struggles, their starting pitching is relatively solid. With guys like Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez not going anywhere and Jesus Luzardo already a lock to in the rotation, that doesn’t leave much room for Sanchez.

On top of that, Miami has pitchers like Braxton Garrett, who presumably earned a spot going forward after a decent 2023 season, and Trevor Rogers returning this year. Mix in the high-upside of Edward Cabrera and the path back to the MLB-level is suddenly uncertain for Sixto in Miami.

Shoutout JT Realmuto, the Best Catcher in Baseball

Ah and since we’re revisiting the Sixto Sanchez trade, let’s not forget that JT Realmuto proved to be the Best Catcher in Baseball in the years following. 

In my opinion, JT Realmuto was the best catcher in baseball even before he arrived in Philadelphia.

His 2018 season with the Marlins, in which he was selected to his first all-star team and was awarded his first silver slugger, was worth 4.5 WAR, tying his first season with the Phillies for the best tally in his career.

I’m still baffled that the Marlins were willing to give up the best player at a thin position group, who was in his prime and under club control for two additional seasons. But that’s why the Marlins are one of the worst franchises in the league.

JT Realmuto has a batting average of .267 with 581 hits, 95 home runs, 335 RBIs and 334 runs scored in 600 games since joining the Phillies. In the postseason, Realmuto has hit .237 with 27 hits, 6 homers, 18 RBIs and 18 runs scored in 30 games.

If you had asked me five years ago, “Who won the trade”, I may have needed a second to think about it before coming to the realization that again, “no prospect is untouchable” and the Phillies unloading on unproven talent worked to perfection. No one they gave up ever really panned out for the Miami Marlins, while the Phillies have a key part of their lineup behind home plate.

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