Jesús Sánchez #18

Jesús Sánchez...Married his wife, Esmerelda, in 2023...Signed by the Rays as an international free agent...Born in Higüey, where at 15, he got the attention of Tony Mota (son of former MLB outfielder Manny Mota)...After watching him play, Mota convinced the Sánchez family to allow Jesús to move to Santo Domingo, in pursuit of signing a professional contract...Was coached by his older brother, Nerva, from the time he was nine...His brother insisted on modeling his swing after David Ortiz, forcing Jesús to learn to bat left-handed...Has been playing piano for the last seven or so years, playing gospel music and writing his own songs.

2025

Split the 2025 season between the Miami Marlins and the Houston Astros, playing in 134 games, slashing .237/.304/.395 with 21 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBI, 13 stolen bases, an 8.5% walk rate, a 22.1% strikeout rate and a .699 OPS...Posted a 74.1% contact rate, compared to a 68.8% rate from the 2024 campaign...Recorded an average bat speed of 75.9 MPH, ranking in the 93rd percentile, while posting an average exit velocity of 91.3 MPH and a hard-hit rate of 43.4%,..Against right-handed pitching, slashed .251/.318/.421 with 18 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 44 RBI, a 9% walk rate, a 74.8% contact rate and a .739 OPS,...Recorded seven DRS in the outfield...Set career-highs in runs scored (61) and walks (42), while tying a career high in triples and multi-hit games (27)...On Aug. 17 vs. BAL, robbed a potential grand slam from SS Gunnar Henderson in the third and a potential three-run home run from DH Samuel Basallo in the seventh inning...According to Sports Info Solutions, is the second player to rob two homers in a single game since the site began tracking in 2004 (also: Nook Logan on April 18, 2005 vs. BAL).

2024

Slashed .252/.313/.417 (123-for-489) in a career-high 149 games, also setting career highs in runs (60), hits, doubles (25), home runs (18), RBI (64), walks (41) and stolen bases (16)...Played in 114 games (98 starts) in right field, 18 games (17 starts) at designated hitter and 11 games (seven starts) in left field, posting a combined .982 fielding pct. (4 E/233 TC)...Led the Marlins in doubles and games played, ranked second in hits, total bases (204) and RBI. Was tied for second in homers (with B. De La Cruz)...Made his third career Opening Day roster...Recorded second career walk-off hit (third career walk-off RBI) on May 2 vs. COL...Finished the month of July going 22-for-82 (.268) with five doubles, one triple, five home runs and 10 RBI in 23 games, his highest AVG in any month during the season (.250 in 3 G in March, .226 in 22 G in April, .259 in 26 G in May, .203 in 24 G in June, .242 in 26 G in Aug., .305 in 25 G in Sept.)...His 480 ft. home run on Aug. 5 vs. CIN (off RHP Jakob Junis) marked the longest homer in the Majors in 2024, and the longest home run hit by a Marlin at loanDepot park in the Statcast Era (since 2015). At 116.4 mph, it marked the fastest home run hit by Sánchez in his career, and the second-longest...Matched career-long hitting streak at seven games twice (July 9-20 and Sept. 21-28)...Set a career high and matched a club record (done 23 times) with five hits on Sept. 17 vs. LAD. Went 5-for-5 with two runs, two doubles and three RBI. Marked the only five-hit game for a Marlin in 2024 and the first since L. Arraez on June 19, 2023 vs. TOR...Went 106-for-384 (.276) with 15 HR and a .797 OPS against right-handed pitchers, while going 17-for-105 (.162) with three homers and a .485 OPS against left-handed pitchers...Per Baseball Savant, his 419 ft. average home run distance ranked third in MLB, behind only PIT’s Oneil Cruz (422 ft.) and KC’s Salvador Pérez (420 ft.). His 92.5 average exit velocity was good for ninth-best in the National League, and tied for 17th in the Majors...Hit .333 (9-for-27) as a pinch hitter, with one double, three RBI and nine strikeouts...His nine hits as a pinch hitter were tied for the fourth-most in MLB, and tied for second in the National League with SD’s D. Solano, trailing only ARI’s R. Grichuk (14 hits).

2023

Hit a career-best .253 while setting career highs in games played (125), runs (43), hits (91), doubles (23), RBI (52) and walks (38)...Matched his career high in home runs with 14...In first career Postseason action, went 1x5 with one strikeout in two games during the National League Wild Card Series at PHI...Had 19 multi-hit games, a new career high (previous, 14 in 2022)...Had six games of at least three hits, also a career high...Hit second career pinch-hit home run on Sept. 8 at PHI off Seranthony Domínguez...Was also his second game-tying pinch-hit homer, joining his solo shot on July 28, 2022 at CIN...Recorded his first career walk-off hit on Aug. 2 vs. PHI in a Marlins’ 12-inning, 9-8 comeback victory...Sánchez hit a walk-off RBI bloop single on a 0-1 pitch to left field with the bases loaded and zero outs to secure the win...Went 81x313 (.259) w/ 13 HR vs. RHP. Went 10x47 (.213) w/ one HR vs. LHP...Set a career-long hitting streak at seven games from July 9-July 22...Went 8x28 with two doubles and two homers (.905 OPS) during stretch...Won MLB’s Play of the Week on June 14 vs. SEA for his grand-slam robbing catch in right field off the bat of Eugenio Suárez. Marked his second career “Play of the Week” award (Sept. 26, 2021)...Prior to the All-Star Break, posted a .257 AVG (47x183) and a .798 OPS in 63 games, while posting a .249 AVG (44x177) and a .755 OPS in 62 games in the second half...In 10 games in May prior to his injury, went 12x27 (.444) with six doubles, two home runs and six RBI...Recorded multiple extra-base hits in three consecutive games from May 8-10 (five doubles, one homer), matching the longest streak in franchise history (done three times: Dan Uggla, 2007; Hanley Ramírez, 2006; Iván Rodríguez, 2003)...Missed 10 games on the 10-day injured list from May 14-29 with a right hamstring strain...Made his second career Opening Day roster.

2022

Appeared in a career-high 98 games across two stints with Miami this year; tied career-high with 36 RBI...Owned a .849 OPS in 47 home games this season and a .548 OPS in 50 road games...Hit 496-foot home run May 30 at Colorado, marking the third-longest home run in all of Major League Baseball last season...Recorded first career walk-off RBI on June 4 vs. San Francisco; was first of his playing career (pro & amateur)…Hit game-tying solo home run in ninth inning July 25 at Cincinnati, marking his first career pinch-hit home run...Was Miami’s lone pinch-hit home run of the season...Posted .391 avg. and 1.031 OPS in 24 games in September with Triple-A Jacksonville...Went 6-for-16 in final five games with Miami, with two doubles, one home run, three RBI and two walks.

2021

Entered the 2021 season as the Marlins' No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com. Played in 64 games and hit .251 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI. Over his final 29 games, had 10 home runs and 24 RBI... Ranked T-8th among all rookies with 11 home runs after the All-Star break... Owned .904 OPS in September (26 games), with eight home runs and 19 RBI. 

2020

Jesus Sánchez enters the 2021 season as the Marlins No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com... Played in 10 games for the Marlins in 2020 and went 1x25 with a double and two RBI... Made his Major League debut on Aug. 21 at Washington. Went 0x4 with three strikeouts. Recorded his first MLB hit, a double in the ninth inning off Ryne Harper, at Washington on Aug. 23.

2019

Began 2019 in the Rays organization at Double-A Montgomery and hit .275 (79x287) with 11 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, and 49 RBI in 78 games...He was promoted to Triple-A Durham on July 11. At the time of promotion, he was tied for fourth in the Southern League in RBI, tied for ninth in hits, and 10th in average...Was acquired on July 31 by Miami and was assigned to Triple-A New Orleans. He hit .246 (16x65) with a double, four home runs, and nine RBI in 17 games...Season was cut short due to hernia injury; did not appear after Aug. 23 and had offseason surgery.

2018

In 2018, was named Most Valuable Player for Single-A Charlotte by the Rays’ Baseball Operations Department. It was his fourth team-MVP award, joining honors in 2015 for the DSL Rays, 2016 for the GCL Rays, and 2017 with Single-A Bowling Green. No other prospect for the Rays has more than two since the awards began in 2009...Between Charlotte and Double-A Montgomery, he combined to bat .282 (129x457) with 11 home runs and 75 RBI. Also finished the season with a career-high 32 doubles...Ranked fourth in Florida State League in average (.301) and Slugging (.462), and was sixth in RBI (64).