Gary Sanchez is changing up his catching stance this spring, and it’s all about pitch framing. Under new Yankees catching coach Tanner Swanson, Sanchez is ditching the traditional squat and target setup. Instead, he’s setting up on one knee with his glove low in the dirt, giving no visible target. This approach aims to better steal low strikes by minimizing glove movement and deceiving human umpires.
Last year, Sanchez would squat and bring his glove up after catching low pitches, which added too much motion and cost him strikes. The new method, borrowed from Twins catcher Mitch Garver, puts the glove in position to frame pitches right off the bat, no extra movement. Garver had success with it, often frustrating hitters who couldn’t believe the calls he was getting. The idea is that if umpires can see the glove receive the pitch cleanly and steadily, even borderline pitches start getting called strikes.
The trick here is trust. Pitchers don’t get a target to throw to, so they have to buy into the system and trust their catcher. Sanchez, a bigger-bodied player whose framing numbers were poor last season, could benefit a lot if this approach works. It won’t fix every problem, and it’s no secret when a pitch is miles outside, but for close calls, it’s giving catchers an edge. With human umpires still behind the plate, deception is part of the game, and the Yankees are leaning into it with this technique.