Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez makes his major league debut as he pitches against the Boston Red Sox during seventh inning AL baseball action in Toronto on Wednesday, July 23, 2014.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
It says a lot about the high esteem that the Toronto Blue Jays hold pitcher Aaron Sanchez in that they don't quite yet know what to do with him.
To close, or not to close; that is one of the big decisions the Blue Jays will have to make a call on after pitchers and catchers report to Dunedin, Fla., for the beginning of spring training on February 23.
Right now, after a solid trial run in 2014 as the Blue Jays closer, it appears that the 22-year-old is destined for the bullpen.
But the club is taking great pains to say that the Sanchez as closer scenario could change quickly if Toronto's other plans to fill the void in the back end of their starting rotation fails to materialize to its liking.
"As we sit here today, Sanchez will be stretched out (to be a starter)," Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in a recent interview. "That being said, there's a scenario that he ends up in the bullpen, depending on how Estrada throws the ball, how Daniel Norris throws the ball."
Estrada is Marco Estrada, who was obtained from the Milwaukee Brewers in the off-season trade for Adam Lind. Estrada went 7-8 last year despite surrendering 29 home runs in 150.2-innings pitched, the highest home run total of any pitcher in 2014.
Norris is Toronto's other prized pitching prospect, alongside Sanchez, a lefty who is hoping to rebound from off-season elbow surgery to be able to take a run at the fifth spot in the Toronto rotation.
After putting his control struggles behind him with a technical adjustment in Triple-A, Sanchez was summoned to the big leagues in late July last season. Aided by a 96-mile-an-hour fastball, Sanchez soon helped establish himself as the Toronto closer amid the continuing struggles of Casey Janssen.
Janssen became a free agent and left the Blue Jays at the end of the season.
In 33 innings pitched, Sanchez enjoyed an eye-popping 1.09 earned-run average while striking out 27 during his first taste of life in the majors. That was enough to impress manager John Gibbons who said he would have no problem if Sanchez moved into the closer's role full time in 2015.
"If you look at it realistically, if Sanchez ends up in the bullpen, which it could happen, we feel good," Gibbons said.
The Blue Jays also believe that lefty Brett Cecil could come in and close games and that Steve Delabar, an all-star from two years ago who was demoted to Triple-A during a horrid 2014 campaign, might also be able to bounce back and challenge for the job.
But if that doesn't work out, look for Sanchez to get the job, even if being a starter play's into the club's longer term goals.
"The problem you run into, too, if you put a young kid out there in the bullpen, he's so good out there, he doesn't develop all his pitches," Gibbons said. "The next thing you know, he never ends up a starter."