Héctor Enrique Sánchez (born November 17, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

for the

Caciques de Distrito The Caciques de Distrito (English: Distrito Chieftains) are a Venezuelan professional baseball team competing in the Venezuelan Major League. Based in Caracas, the team represents the Capital District and plays its home games at Estadio Universi ...

of the

Venezuelan Major League The Venezuelan Major League, officially the Major League of Professional Baseball ( or LMBP) is a professional baseball league in Venezuela. Unlike the top-level Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, which plays a winter league schedule, the ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

, and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

Career

San Francisco Giants

In 2011, after hitting .302 with 11 home runs and 58 RBI in 52 games for the

San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark. Games San Jose Giants g ...

, Sánchez was promoted to the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

. Sánchez was called up to the majors for the first time on July 15, 2011. He was selected to join the Giants' 2012

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster as the backup catcher behind Buster Posey. Due to their pairing during

Barry Zito Barry William Zito (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. His pitching repertoire consisted of a curveball ...

's rehab stint at Triple-A in 2011, and their continued success together at the major-league level in 2012, he had been designated as Zito's personal catcher. On April 23, 2012, Sánchez hit his first career home run off of

Dillon Gee Dillon Kyle Gee (born April 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. In addit ...

. On May 6, 2012, Sánchez hit a pitch-hit, walk-off single against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

despite a five-man infield. On May 21, Sánchez hit his second career homer in the top of the 14th inning, against the Brewers again, to help the Giants win 4–3. In 2012, Sánchez appeared in 74 games, batting .280 with 3 home runs and 34 RBI. He was the backup catcher during the 2012 postseason, which culminated in the Giants winning the

2012 World Series The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and th ...

. In 2013, Sánchez played in 63 games, batting .248 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI. On August 15, 2013, he hit a pinch-hit, 3-run home run off Washington Nationals closer Rafael Soriano with two outs in the top of the ninth inning. The Giants were trailing 3–1 and held on to win 4–3. On April 23, 2014, Sánchez hit his first career grand slam in the top of the 11th inning against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. On June 25, 2014, Sánchez was the catcher for

Tim Lincecum Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "the Freak", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the San Francisco Giants. A two-time Cy Young Award ...

's second no-hitter against the

. Sánchez went on the concussion list on July 26 and suffered a second concussion while on a rehab assignment and missed the rest of the 2014 season. On July 21, 2015, Sánchez hit his second career grand slam off Dale Thayer of the San Diego Padres. In early September, Sánchez strained his left hamstring and sprained his left ankle running to first base and missed the rest of the season. After the season, Sánchez was not tendered a contract by the Giants and became a free agent.

Chicago White Sox

On December 14, 2015, Sánchez signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training with the

. The White Sox promoted Sánchez to the major leagues on April 26, 2016. He was designated for assignment on May 9.

San Diego Padres

After being designated by the White Sox, Sanchez was claimed by the

and added to the 25-man roster. On June 14, he was designated for assignment and outrighted to the Triple-A

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team based in El Paso, Texas. The Chihuahuas compete in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Sou ...

. For the season, he had the third-slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league players, at 22.9 feet/second. He was non-tendered in the 2016 offseason, and signed a minor league contract with the Padres on December 13, 2016. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

San Francisco Giants (second stint)

On January 5, 2018, Sánchez returned to the

organization on a minor league contract. He was released from the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

on May 27.

Detroit Tigers

On January 21, 2019, Sánchez signed a minor-league deal with 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

that included an invite to Spring Training. He was released on March 28, 2019.

Long Island Ducks

On April 8, 2019, Sánchez signed with the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

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

. In 98 appearances for Long Island, he batted .273/.308/.406 with nine home runs and 58 RBI. Sánchez became a free agent following the season. On November 30, 2020, Sánchez signed with the

Ottawa Titans The Ottawa Titans (French: ''Titans d'Ottawa''), officially ''Ottawa Titans Baseball Club'' (Club de baseball des Titans d'Ottawa), are a professional baseball team based in Ottawa. The Titans compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of t ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

. However, he did not appear in a game for the team before he was traded. On April 17, 2021, Sánchez was traded to the

of the

in exchange for future considerations. In 82 games, Sánchez slashed .247/.324/.495 with 18 home runs and 70 RBI. Following the 2021 season, Sánchez was traded back to the

of the

. On October 22, 2021, Sánchez was traded by the Titans to the

Gateway Grizzlies The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team based in Sauget, Illinois. The Grizzlies compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the Midwest Division. The franchise was founded in 2001 and they play their home games at the 6, ...

of the

. However he would never play a game for the Grizzlies as he left them on January 24, 2022.

Cleburne Railroaders

On January 24, 2022, Sánchez signed with the

Cleburne Railroaders The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays i ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. In 65 appearances for Cleburne, he hit .220/.294/.353 with eight home runs, 32 RBI, and one stolen base.

Milwaukee Milkmen

On August 16, 2022, Sánchez was traded to the Milwaukee Milkmen of the

. Sánchez played in 19 games for Milwaukee, slashing .386/.450/.671 with 5 home runs and 18 RBI. He was released by the team on April 13, 2023.

Kane County Cougars

On July 27, 2023, Sánchez signed with the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are a professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois, and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their home games a ...

of the

. In 29 games for Kane County, he batted .266/.346/.330 with one home run and 18 RBI.

Long Island Ducks

On September 16, 2023, Sánchez was traded to the

of the

in exchange for a player to be named later. In two games with the Ducks, Sánchez slashed .143/.333/.143 with two RBI.

Karachi Monarchs

On October 23, 2023, Sánchez was selected in the fourth round by the Karachi Monarchs, with the 30th overall pick, of the 2023

Baseball United Baseball United is a professional baseball organization in West Asia and South Asia. It began with two showcase games in Dubai in November 2023. The winter league's first season with five teams representing cities in India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia ...

inaugural draft.

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

On November 28, 2023, Sánchez signed with the

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (English: Two Laredos Owls), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (English: Nuevo Laredo Owls), are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The Tecolotes are a binational baseball team, spli ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 44 games for the Tecolotes in 2024, he batted .241/.303/.407 with four home runs and 14 RBI. Sánchez was released by the Tecolotes on December 18, 2024.

Caciques de Distrito

On April 17, 2025, Sánchez signed with the

of the

.https://www.lmbp.net/equipo.php?equipo=CQS

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Hector 1989 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Arizona League Giants players Augusta GreenJackets players Baseball players from Maracay Caciques de Distrito players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Cleburne Railroaders players Dominican Summer League Giants players El Paso Chihuahuas players Estrellas Orientales players Fresno Grizzlies players Kane County Cougars players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Milwaukee Milkmen players Sacramento River Cats players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants players San Jose Giants players Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos players Tiburones de La Guaira players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States

Career

San Francisco Giants

Chicago White Sox

San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants (second stint)

Detroit Tigers

Long Island Ducks

Cleburne Railroaders

Milwaukee Milkmen

Kane County Cougars

Long Island Ducks

Karachi Monarchs

Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos

Caciques de Distrito

See also

References

External links