Life of a Big Leaguer: Tony Sanchez

Pirates Catcher Tony Sanchez

The Marist baseball team has put itself in great position heading into conference play this upcoming weekend after going 8-0 during the spring break trip.  Baseball was the only concern and top priority during the trip since we were without classes and schoolwork.  As a result, I (Chad), was able to catch up with an old friend who is currently fighting for a spot in the Major Leagues.  Tony Sanchez, a catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is preparing for another successful season in pro baseball.  Tony attended Boston College through his junior year, after which he was drafted fourth overall by the Pirates.  Tony recently informed me that he was a fan of the blog so I asked him to write about his experience in baseball starting from his younger days all the way to what he has become today.  Here is what Tony had to say:

Throughout my years of playing baseball at the high school and college level, my sole dream was to get drafted into Professional Baseball. That was the goal, the only goal; do whatever needed to be done to get drafted. Whether it be extra sets in the gym, extra swings in batting practice or just a few more blocks during catching lessons. I had my sights set on one thing and one thing only, professional baseball. Ever since I made varsity my sophomore year of high school as the starting catcher, I knew I had the potential to turn baseball into a career. Little did I know that the “Pro” life is neither as easy or as glamorous as I dreamt it to be.

After I finished my senior year of high school and began my journey at Boston College, I can remember how excited I was to receive a scholarship at such a prestigious university and have the opportunity to play everyday in the gauntlet conference you know as the ACC. Playing against, and at venues such as Miami, Florida State (schools that passed on yours truly), North Carolina, Clemson, and NC State, it was always easy to stay focused on doing whatever needed to be done to win the game. We faced the some of the best teams in the country and I got the chance and experience of hitting off some college arms that could have easily had success in the pros. If it wasn’t for playing in the ACC, I would not of been as polished of a hitter or a catcher and probably would not of had as much success as I did when I first got into pro baseball.

For me Personally, the hardest part of going from college to the pros, or I should say the “minors”, was the fact that minor league ball is an everyday GRIND, one maybe two off days a month, long bus trips, sub par hotels and 100 fans in the stands, not the image I had dreamed about when I was an amateur.

Tony was the 4th Overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft

While I was at BC, I was going to war with my brothers every game. We spent 24 hours a day together, living together, going to class together, lifting and practicing together, all because we had one common goal, to win. When I first got to the minors, I still had that college mentality that everyone pulled for one another and everyone wanted to win every game. I still had the sense that the team I was going to be playing for was a family and guys would take bullets for one another. Unfortunately, I was mistaken and what I learned fairly quickly was that the minors was all about developing players. Its a dog eat dog world and its a business, everyone is out there taking care of their own business and worried about themselves because we all want to make it to the next level. Now, I’m not saying that guys are rooting against each other or hoping for others to fail, but my first realization of minor league ball was that everyone is on their own agenda. Yea people wanted to win games, because lets face it, losing sucks. But winning isn’t at the top of the list of priorities.

As I log more and more games and practices with my fellow professionals and guys that play on the Pirates with me, I get the sense that we are becoming closer and closer everyday. I for one am always working harder for my pitchers behind the plate then I am for myself when I’m at the plate, and they notice. We all have each others backs and we all want each other to do well, but if me and another guy are battling it out at a certain position, you better believe I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure I’m in the lineup every night.

Tony working an at-bat against Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay last week