TORONTO -- We just saw the swing the Blue Jays dreamed of when they traded for Jesús Sánchez in Spring Training.
His first career grand slam in Toronto's 8-1 win over Miami at Rogers Centre was everything that’s special about Sánchez, everything the Blue Jays have been waiting to see more of after a slow start that’s slowly been heating up these past few weeks. Tuesday night, it finally exploded.
“I never thought it was going to take me this long to hit my first grand slam,” Sánchez said through club interpreter Hector LeBron. “I thank God. I feel very, very, very happy about this moment tonight.”
Sánchez turned on a 98.6 mph fastball from Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, up at the top of the zone and in on his hands. For too much of March, April and May, we’ve seen Sánchez simply trying to get a bat on the ball, maybe find a hole to drag his batting average up a few points, but that’s not his game. Sánchez, as a hitter, is big and bold. It looked like this pitch almost jolted Sánchez out of those early-season habits and forced him back into his own identity, a power hitter simply reacting to a heater.
“For Sanch, get the ball in the air to right field and right centre, big fella,” manager John Schneider said, “and don’t be afraid to let it rip.”
This is what the Blue Jays want. In so many ways, Sánchez mirrors Addison Barger. His bat speed dropped down closer to league averages early this season, but prior to joining the Blue Jays, Sánchez was, like Barger, one of the hardest swinging players in baseball. That’s created some massive exit velocities, and when Toronto flipped Joey Loperfido to the Astros for Sánchez in the middle of February, it was chasing that upside.
The move made sense then, just as it makes sense now. For all the injuries the Blue Jays have run into, they’ll never run out of outfielders. Toronto has more than enough outfielders in the organization who can play at a Major League level, but Sánchez represents a power upside that few others bring. At the time of the trade, you could look at the deal and see that if the gamble didn’t pay off, the Blue Jays would still be just fine. If it hit, though? Jackpot.
Sánchez ended Tuesday night batting .285 with a .786 OPS. Lefties have given Sánchez fits this season in their rare meetings, but as long as the Blue Jays can keep him facing right-handed pitching, he’ll keep mashing. This was always going to be a project that took Toronto's hitting staff some time, and while Sánchez’s shift in bat speed and approach earlier this season was not expected, it feels like this path is finally leading him back towards his best self. His timing couldn’t be better, either, in a lineup desperate for power.
Now tied for 20th in MLB with 51 home runs and coming in at 23rd with a .377 slugging percentage, there’s no mystery about what’s ailed the Blue Jays. Last year, they made a ton of contact and knew how to land the odd haymaker. This year, the haymaker is missing.
“We’ve just got to trust each other,” Sánchez said. “You’ve got to trust whoever is hitting behind you. Everybody has a role here, and you’ve got to have confidence. I think we all, as a team, had that confidence tonight. It’s just a matter of time.”
This power outage has strained the roster, and particularly the Blue Jays’ bullpen, which has been forced to ride its 4-5 core relievers in tight games, over and over. Finally, in Tuesday’s win, everyone got to coast through the late innings, leaving that group’s best arms fresh for Wednesday afternoon’s finale.
This is a start. The Blue Jays need more power from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a healthy Barger, a healthy Alejandro Kirk and another hot streak from Kazuma Okamoto. Sánchez can be right in the middle of it, though, and with one big hack, he reminded everyone what the Blue Jays were betting on.