Ricardo José Sánchez Lugo (born April 11, 1997) 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 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 ...

. 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

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon that competes in the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. They have won the Korean Series once, in 1999, and the league penn ...

Career

Amateur career

Sánchez was named the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

of the 2012 15U Baseball World Championship in Mexico. He pitched six innings in the championship game against a Cuban team led by Yordan Alvarez to earn the win over opposing starting pitcher Johan Oviedo.

Los Angeles Angels

Sánchez signed with the

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

as an international free agent on July 2, 2013. He made his professional debut in 2014 with the rookie-level Arizona League Angels and spent the whole season there, going 2–2 with a 3.49 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 12 games (nine starts).

Atlanta Braves

On January 8, 2015, the Angels traded Sánchez to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

in exchange for

Kyle Kubitza Kyle Andrew Kubitza (born July 15, 1990) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels. Career Kubitza attended Colleyville Heritage High School in Colleyville, T ...

and Nate Hyatt. In 2015, Sánchez played for the Single-A Rome Braves where he was 1–6 with a 5.45 ERA and 31 strikeouts in ten starts, and in 2016, he returned to Rome, going 7–10 with a 4.75 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 24 games (23 starts). He spent 2017 with the High-A

Florida Fire Frogs The Florida Fire Frogs were a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League from 2017 to 2020. They were located in North Port, Florida, and served as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Founded in 2017, the Fire Frogs ...

where he compiled a 4–12 record with a 4.95 ERA and 101 strikeouts across 22 appearances (21 starts). The Braves added Sánchez to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season, in order to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. He spent 2018 with the Double-A

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in ...

, going 2–5 with a 4.06 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 13 starts.

Seattle Mariners

The

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

acquired Sánchez in exchange for cash considerations on November 28, 2018. Upon joining the organization, Sánchez was considered by MLB.com to be the Mariners' 23rd-ranked prospect. Sánchez was assigned to the Double-A

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and play in the Texas League. Hi ...

at the start of the 2019 season. In 27 starts for Arkansas, he compiled an 8-12 record and 4.44 ERA with 135 strikeouts across 146 innings pitched. Sánchez was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

following the signing of

Yoshihisa Hirano is a Japanese composer and arranger. He is best known for composing the scores for anime series, such as ''Death Note'', '' Hunter × Hunter (2011)'', and '' Edens Zero''. He has also made the orchestration for video games, mostly in the Final ...

on January 30, 2020.

St. Louis Cardinals

On February 6, 2020, Sánchez was claimed off waivers by the

. On July 4, it was announced that Sánchez had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. On August 15, Sánchez was promoted to the major leagues. He made his major league debut the next day against the

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

, pitching two scoreless innings. On October 20, Sánchez was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He became a free agent on November 2. On April 30, 2021, Sánchez re-signed with the Cardinals. He did not play in a game in 2021 due to injury. On March 30, 2022, Sánchez was released by the Cardinals organization.

Philadelphia Phillies

On April 1, 2022, Sánchez signed a minor league contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

organization. He made 21 starts for the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

, pitching to a 6–4 record and 4.79 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 92.0 innings of work.

Detroit Tigers

On August 14, 2022, the Phillies traded Sánchez to 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 ...

for cash considerations. Sánchez closed out the year starting 5 games for the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A baseball team nicknamed the ...

, working to a 1–1 record and 5.55 ERA with 20 strikeouts in innings pitched. He was released on October 27.

Chicago White Sox

On February 23, 2023, Sánchez signed a minor league contract with the

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 ...

organization. He made 3 appearances for the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits with 8 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Hanwha Eagles

On April 19, 2023, Sanchez signed a $400k contract with the

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

. In 24 starts for the Eagles, he recorded a 7–8 record and 3.79 ERA with 99 strikeouts across 126.0 innings of work. On December 26, 2023, Sánchez re–signed with Hanwha on a one–year, $750,000 contract. On June 16, 2024, he was declared inactive due to elbow pains, and was temporarily replaced by Ryan Weiss. Sánchez made 11 total appearances for Hanwha in 2024, logging a 2-3 record and 4.22 ERA with 56 strikeouts across innings pitched. He became a free agent following the season.

Algodoneros de Unión Laguna

On May 3, 2025, Sánchez signed with the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Ricardo 1997 births Living people Arizona League Angels players Arkansas Travelers players Charlotte Knights players Danville Braves players Florida Fire Frogs players Gulf Coast Braves players Hanwha Eagles players KBO League pitchers Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Mississippi Braves players Navegantes del Magallanes players Rome Braves players Baseball players from Puerto Cabello St. Louis Cardinals players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in South Korea Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States