MIAMI — Caught within Carlos Correa mania and a franchise’s reunion with one of its icons is Jesús Sánchez. The acquisition of the ex-Marlins outfielder came together within minutes of Correa agreeing to waive his no-trade clause, rendering the 27-year-old outfielder a footnote of the Houston Astros’ frenzied trade deadline.
Before it began, Sánchez served as an archetype for what the Astros desired. He hits left-handed, ravages right-handed pitching and can play all three outfield positions, ideal for an imbalanced roster that’s missing its starting center fielder and witnessing a regression from the rookie playing right.
Sánchez fixes all of those flaws.
If he and utility infielder Ramón Urías were the extent of Houston’s offensive acquisitions, few would’ve fretted. Correa’s availability changed the calculus and cemented him as the obvious face of Houston’s deadline.
At loanDepot Park, that title belongs to Sánchez. Hovering around .500 prevented Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix from orchestrating a total selloff. Edward Cabrera and Kyle Stowers are still around. So is Sandy Alcantara, despite serious interest from a slew of teams, including the Astros.
Sánchez is the lone exception. Fate brought him back to the ballpark four days after he departed. A sparse crowd of 10,827 showered him with a nice ovation before his first at-bat and during a video tribute between the first and second inning. Sánchez flashed the smile that’s already become contagious inside the Astros’ clubhouse.
“Such a great guy. Not a bad bone in his body,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said after Houston’s 8-2 win. “He’s so happy. Always great energy. I admire that about him.”
Houston surrendered two prospects and a major-league starter with six years of control for Sánchez’s services, signaling how high he sat on the Astros’ priority list. On the first day of Sánchez’s tenure, manager Joe Espada promised to “hit him in the middle of the lineup.” He has hit second or third in each of the four games since.
“He’s asking a ton of questions,” Espada said. “He wants to know how we’ve done it here for so many years. You want to be part of something special, a winning culture, and we’ve been able to do that for a long time.”
On Monday, the roles reversed.
Houston’s advance scouting meeting began at 4 p.m. Sánchez stood before his new teammates and offered insights into the Marlins’ tendencies. Among the topics: how best to attack Alcantara, a portrait of inconsistency in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, but still armed with some of the sport’s nastiest stuff.
“Seeing Alcantara made me really happy, very happy to see him,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “Very excited to see him. Facing him is a lot of fun.”
Just a select few can make such a claim. Now, count Sánchez among them. His ringing double during the fourth inning catalyzed a five-run frame from a lineup that sorely needed it.
Houston scored six runs and had nine hits against Alcantara. None was struck harder than the 112.2 mph missile Sánchez delivered against Alcantara’s first-pitch curveball. If not for a diving play from center fielder Jakob Marsee in the fifth, Sánchez would’ve had his second multi-hit game in an Astros uniform.
“Honestly, it feels great to be here,” Sánchez said. “With this group, it’s really easy to feel at home. There’s a lot of Hispanic players here, and we understand each other real well. It just feels good to be here.”
Such is the standard for so many that enter Houston’s clubhouse. The culture inside of it is unquantifiable, but this season has supplied the closest thing to tangible proof of its existence. New faces have shuttled in and out amid a rash of injuries. All of them have, in some form, contributed to a club that is 13 games over .500.
Sánchez is here to offer stability. He will play against almost all right-handed starting pitchers and afford the balance that’s been missing since Yordan Alvarez fractured his hand.
Sánchez does not strike out, nor does he get cheated on many of the swings he takes. His average bat speed of 75.7 mph is in the 93rd percentile of all major-league hitters. His 92.2 mph average exit velocity is in the 88th.
Sánchez’s defensive metrics are above-average, even if the first four games of his Astros tenure may not reflect it. He has started thrice in left field — the spot in which he is least experienced — and had some adventurous results.
Overrunning a fly ball in the cramped left-field corner of Fenway Park, forgetting to hit the cutoff man or taking circuitous outfield routes aren’t absolute causes for alarm. Aggressive mistakes are always preferred over being afraid of failure.
Trying to impress a new team can cause some overcompensation, though Espada sought to squash that upon Sánchez’s arrival. When the two men first met, Espada encouraged him to “play without pressure.” Too many stars are on this team for Sánchez to feel he must be something superhuman.
“With this team, the confidence that this team has is very key, super important,” Sánchez said. “Confidence is everything you need with this team.”
(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
