With an open rotation spot for a double header on Saturday, the Marlins are tabbing Sixto Sanchez, the centerpiece of the J.T. Realmuto trade and one of the most precocious pitchers in the minors.
The Rankings
Sixto checked in #1 in our Marlins Top 30 and #67 in our Fantasy Top 500.
Background
Sixto was an unheralded international player out of the Dominican Republic who signed with the Phillies in 2015 for -- wait for it -- $35,000. The rest is history. He was hitting 95 in 2016 and the velocity kept creeping up all while retaining impeccable control and command of his expansive arsenal.
Physical Description
Standing at just six feet tall, Sixto has fought off criticism about his size and his ability to stay in a rotation. He’s got a thick, filled out build and has no room for added mass and has generally maintained this physique for the last couple of seasons. He has a slight closed wind up and is a drop and dive pitcher. He has an incredibly quick arm from a ¾ slot. While with the Marlins he’s improved his violent motion at the end and has appeared to reduce his head whack.
Pitch Mix
Fastball (60): Sixto has two grips for his fastball, and both carry elite velocity. He averages 97 mph and can hit 100 mph. The two-seam variety has a lot of late tail and induces a ton of ground balls. Because it’s intended as a weak contact pitch rather than a pure strikeout one, he won’t rack up the strikeouts his velocity might indicate. But he holds the velo deep into games and possesses strong command of the pitch. I need more information on the four-seam as it’s sometimes played too straight without ride, so it’s more of a set up pitch than an out pitch.
Changep (60): This is Sixto’s bread and butter, a fall-off-the-table offering that neutralizes platoon splits and has so much arm side drop that you’d be forgiven if you thought it was a splitter for a half second. He can spot the corners with it too and at its very best it flashes 70. In other words, this is what Pitching Ninja will latch onto.
Slider (50): Sixto’s second, er, secondary is a firm, high-spin slider that he darts away from righties. He could improve his glove side command of it in order to give him another weapon versus lefties, but expect this to be deployed more against righties. While it’ll flash plus it’s not consistently there yet as it can momentarily lose shape.
Health
Sixto has battled some health issues on his throwing shoulder and forearm, enough that he’s been shut down from time to time. He’s fortunately never suffered any serious injuries, but the kid gloves are certainly still there.
Prediction
In the short term it’s unclear if Sixto Sanchez is going to stick in the rotation or if it’s only a spot start. But he has the skill to easily stay and never look back. The key to success is developing more strikeout ability and that comes in the way of leaning more on the four-seam and turning that slider up another notch. It feels greedy to ask someone with two plus pitches to get a third, but that’s how he becomes a true top of the rotation pitcher. Movement is not everything, so despite how much his two-seam and change dances, if it falls right into the bottom of the strike zone with everyone’s uppercut swings, there’ll be damage. But overall, his high velocity gives him high margin of error and I’d be truly surprised to see a blow up.
Fantasy Impact
Pick up Sixto in 12-team mixed leagues and deeper. Know he won’t be a source of wins because of his team but he can be a ratio stabilizer thanks to his low walk rates. Marlins won’t let him go deep, so don’t count on quality starts. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy a pitcher with one of the best pure stuff out there while crossing your fingers for continued development so he can unlock the strikeouts.