MIAMI MARLINS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. SIXTO SANCHEZ, RHP
AGE: 21. B-T: R-R. HT.: 6-0. WT.: 185. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2015. SIGNED BY: Carlos Salas (Phillies).
TRACK RECORD: Originally signed by the Phillies for $35,000 in July 2015, Sanchez was traded to the Marlins in the February 2019 trade that sent J.T. Realmuto to Philadelphia for catcher Jorge Alfaro, lefthander Will Stewart and Sanchez, who was the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect at the time. Prior to the trade, Sanchez established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball on the strength of an explosive three-pitch arsenal. A 6-foot, 185-pound righthander, Sanchez struggled with right elbow inflammation in 2018, restricting him to just 46.2 innings in his final season with the Phillies. Sanchez enjoyed good health in 2019, pitched a career-high 114 innings and reached Double-A for the first time. Sanchez was the topranked pitching prospect in the Southern League, posting a 8-4, 2.53 record with 97 strikeouts and just 19 walks in 103 innings.
Sanchez’s three-pitch mix is headlined by a mid- to upper-90s fastball that can touch 101 mph. Complementing his double-plus fastball is a pair of plus secondary offerings in an upper-80s changeup with good sinking action and a hard, power slider that features two-plane tilt. Perhaps even more impressive than his stuff is Sanchez’s ability to control all three offerings. He is an advanced strike-thrower with plus or better control, and he walked fewer than 1.7 batters per nine innings at both of his stops in 2019. A converted infielder, Sanchez is a
