[Terry D]

Orlando Sanchez was one of those guys who could never quite catch a break in the majors but who might have had a significant career if an organization had shown any real confidence in him. The Mets let him go after only a year or so, but he matured as a hitter in the Phillies system and the Cards drafted him after they let go their entire 1980 catching corps (Simmons, Kennedy, Swisher). Sanchez didn't have terrific home run power, but he often posted high slugging averages.Sanchez had two things against him. First, the Cards had a lot of other catchers on their roster (Porter, Tenace, Brummer, later Quirk and Rayford). Second, while he could hit he was a pretty poor defensive catcher, his throwing being particularly weak. As a result, Sanchez got lost in the shuffle. He didn't see a lot of action with the Cards in their 82 championship year, he had just a so-so 83 at Louisville, and the Cards got rid of him. He played briefly with the Royals in 84 and spent the balance of the season in the Baltimore system, getting just 8 ABs with the Orioles in his final major league season. Remarkably, Sanchez went on to play for nearly another decade, mostly in the Mexican league, and he later managed in Mexico for years. I think he could have helped a major league club if they had played him at first base or even stuck him behind the plate and said 'the hell with the glove work, just keep hitting.' Photos of Sanchez as a Card are readily available, but I have seen only one small and badly cropped shot of him with the Royals and none at all with Baltimore. Now here he is in an Orioles uniform, courtesy of ebay seller andy1921. I've been waiting for this for a long time.