Tony

Sanchez

Texas acquired Sanchez from the Reds last April and watched him post a strong .300/.353/.455 batting line with seven home runs and 31 RBI in 62 games at Triple-A Round Rock. He’ll remain organizational depth at catcher.

“Tony continues to develop as a player,” Pirates GM Neal Huntington told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, refusing to elaborate on the details of the fight. “As with any young player, there are good days and days when we need to make adjustments. We are expecting Tony to come into spring training ready to go and ready to have a great season.” The former No. 4 overall pick batted just .241 with a .658 OPS in 118 games last year with Double-A Altoona. He was suspended three games in May for criticizing umpires on his personal Twitter account.

Sanchez, 24, was the fourth pick in 2009’s First-Year Player Draft. He batted just .241 with a .658 OPS in 118 games last year with Double-A Altoona, causing him to drop from Baseball America’s 46th overall prospect prior in 2011 to unranked this winter. Sanchez, however, improved to a .277/.373/.387 slash line over 158 plate appearances this year to earn the promotion. We aren’t terribly excited about his prospects, as a touted 24-year-old at Double-A should be expected to shred that level’s pitching, but it isn’t as though Pittsburgh has a glut of catching talent above him.

Sanchez, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2009 draft, was a given to be protected. The 24-year-old’s star has faded a bit and he struggled with the bat following his promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis this season, but he has been praised for his defense and game-calling. There’s a chance we could see him in the big leagues at some point in 2013.

With Russell Martin (neck) sidelined, the Pirates are considering calling up Sanchez if Saturday’s game is rained out and a doubleheader is played on Sunday. The fourth overall pick in 2009, Sanchez is batting .269/.380/.449 at the Triple-A level. He could get an extended look if Martin lands on the DL.

No word yet on the corresponding roster move. Sanchez, the No. 4 overall pick in 2009, is batting .306/.389/.563 with nine home runs and 35 RBI in 55 games at the Triple-A level this season.

His lone hit was a ground rule double in the second inning off Joe Blanton. Sanchez served as the Pirates designated hitter in his MLB debut, but could see playing time as a backup to Russell Martin.

When the Pirates made Sanchez the fourth overall pick in the 2009 draft, they were hoping he’d be their starting catcher by now. Instead, he looks like a future backup at best. He’ll be the starter at Triple-A Indianapolis this year.

Snider batted .157/.189/.294 over the final two months of the season. The other notable absence from Pittsburgh’s Division Series roster is catcher Tony Sanchez. The best-of-five begins Thursday evening in St. Louis.

The homer came in his 39th major league at-bat. Sanchez is hitting .220 while serving as Russell Martin’s backup. He’ll probably never be anything more than a backup, but he might have some long-term value in that role.