Ángel Luis Sánchez (born September 20, 1983) is a Puerto Rican coach in Minor League Baseball, and a former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

who played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Playing career

At the age of 15, Sánchez was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 12th round (356th overall) of the

1999 Major League Baseball Draft The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999. A total of 1474 players were drafted over the course of 50 rounds. First round selections ...

. He did not sign with the Marlins and was later taken by the

in the 11th round (325th overall) of the

2001 Major League Baseball Draft The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6. First round selections Supplemental First Round Selections Compensation Picks Background On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban ba ...

Kansas City Royals

Sánchez began his professional career playing for the

Gulf Coast Royals The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals were a minor league baseball franchise in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League from 1971–1978, 1982–1983 and 1985–2002. The club was owned and operated by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. Th ...

in 2001 and 2002. For another two years from 2003 to 2004, he played for the Class A Burlington Bees. In a breakout 2005 season, playing for the Class A-Advanced

High Desert Mavericks The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that played their home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League. The franchise had eight ...

, he batted .313 with 5

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in 133 games. He set numerous career highs including batting average (.313), games played (133, tied in 2006),

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

s (585),

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

(102, surpassed in 2006 with 105),

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

(185), doubles (33),

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a "treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * In ...

(4), home runs (5), RBI (70), and walks (39, surpassed in 2006 with 44). On November 18, 2005, Sánchez's contract was purchased by the Royals, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft. At the time, ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' ranked Sánchez as the best infielder in the Royals' minor league system. In 2006, Sánchez played the entire minor league season for the Double-A Wichita Wranglers. He batted .280 with 4 home runs in 133 games. On September 20, with Andrés Blanco injured, Sánchez was a late-season callup. He made his major league debut on September 23, against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, going 0-for-3 with a

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

. He got his first major league hit on September 26, against the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

in a two-hit game. On October 1, the Royals' last game of the season, Sánchez recorded his first three-hit game, all

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

, against the Tigers. It was just his eighth career game. Sánchez completed the 2006 major league season with a .222 batting average. Sánchez missed the entire 2007 season with a right elbow injury. In 2008, he was the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...

' primary shortstop, hitting .261 in 63 games. ;Toronto Blue Jays On November 3, 2008, Sánchez was claimed off waivers by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. He played in 126 games for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s and hit .305. He did not play in any major league games for Toronto.

Boston Red Sox

Sánchez signed as a free agent with the

on November 25, 2009. In 62 games with the Pawtucket Red Sox, he hit .274. He also played in one game, on May 20, 2010, for the Red Sox and was hitless in three at-bats.

Houston Astros

On July 1, 2010, Sánchez was traded to the

for veteran catcher Kevin Cash. Sánchez saw regular action as a utility infielder for the Astros in 2010 and 2011, hitting .257 in 175 games. He also hit his first Major League homer on April 11, 2011 off Ryan Dempster of the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. He spent all of 2012 back in the minor leagues, playing in 107 games with the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks and hit .320.

Chicago White Sox

On October 26, 2012, Sánchez, represented by

Burton Rocks Burton Evan Rocks (June 25, 1972), born in New York City, is an American sports attorney/agent, and writer. Rocks collaborated with Yankee outfielder Paul O'Neill on the 2003 ''New York Times'' bestseller ''Me and My Dad: A Baseball Memoir''. ...

, signed a minor league deal with the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

that included an invitation to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, where he was expected to compete for the utility role vacated by

Maicer Izturis Maicer Eduardo Izturis (; born September 12, 1980) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. During his career he played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

. However, on December 6, 2012, Sánchez was selected by the

in the Rule 5 Draft. He appeared in one game, on April 9, for the White Sox and was hitless in two at-bats. He was then placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

following the game. On May 25, 2013, Sánchez was activated from the disabled list and outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte Knights. In 43 games with the Knights, he hit only .189 and he was released on August 3, 2013.

Late career

Sánchez finished the 2013 season with the Somerset Patriots of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

, hitting .228 in 31 games. He then began 2014 with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, also of the Atlantic League, hitting .288 in 15 games. On June 13, 2014, Sánchez signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

and was assigned to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. He played in 54 games and hit .251. After sitting out the 2015 season, Sánchez completed his playing career in 2016 with Southern Maryland, batting .280 in 79 games.

Post-playing career

As of the 2019 season, Sánchez is the coach for the Boston Red Sox' Double-A affiliate, the

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Angel 1983 births Living people Atenienses de Manatí (baseball) players Boston Red Sox players Burlington Bees players Cangrejeros de Santurce (baseball) players Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Chicago White Sox players Gulf Coast Royals players High Desert Mavericks players Houston Astros players Indios de Mayagüez players Kansas City Royals players Las Vegas 51s players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente infielders Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Minor league baseball coaches Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Omaha Royals players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Humacao, Puerto Rico Somerset Patriots players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Wichita Wranglers players Criollos de Caguas players