Alex Sánchez (outfielder)

Infobox MLB player


width = 150
name=Alex Sanchez| position=Outfielder
team=Long Island Ducksnumber=2
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1976|8|26
debutdate=June 15
debutyear=2001
debutteam=Milwaukee Brewers
statyear=2007
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.296
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=6
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=111
teams=
*Milwaukee Brewers (by|2001–by|2003)
*Detroit Tigers (by|2003–by|2004)
*Tampa Bay Devil Rays (by|2005)
*San Francisco Giants (by|2005)

Alexis Sanchez, (born August 26, 1976 in Havana, Cuba), is a Major League Baseball outfielder playing for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League.

Sanchez immigrated from Cuba on a raft, in 1994, at the age of eighteen. He and his companions were picked up by the Coast Guard after three days at sea, they were detained at Guantanamo Bay. Sanchez stayed there for about 16 months, and afterwards settled in Miami, Florida. He became a United States citizen in late 2004. He is married with two sons.

Sanchez attended Miami-Dade Community College. He was drafted 154th, in the 5th round of the by|1996 MLB Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In by|2001, he was claimed off of waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers, and played his first game on June 15, 2001. Sanchez was the starting center fielder for the Brewers by 2002, but his erratic defensive play and poor attitude in the clubhouse got him traded to the Detroit Tigers during the 2003 season. He missed most of by|2004 with a leg injury. On March 15, by|2005, he was released by the Tigers, due mostly to his poor performance defensively. Shortly afterward he was reacquired by the Devil Rays.

On April 3, 2005, he became the first Major League Baseball player to be suspended for violating the league's newly adopted drug policy, [cite web | title = Players suspended under baseball's steroids policy | publisher = espn.com | date = 2006-06-07 | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2474192 | accessdate = 2007-07-20] which is designed to stop the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. He was suspended for 10 days without pay, an amount totaling to $32,787.

Although the use of performance-enhancing drugs is generally associated with home run hitters, Sanchez had four career home runs in 1,351 at bats at the time of his suspension. Sanchez did not appeal the suspension and stated that he routinely used over the counter nutritional supplements, one of which was banned on January 15, and that he had not checked what he was using against the new rules.

On June 13, by|2005, Sánchez was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays despite a .346 batting average. Sánchez had not been playing every day, due to his inconsistent defensive play, and manager Lou Piniella said Sánchez was unhappy because he wanted to be an everyday player. Sanchez signed with the San Francisco Giants ten days later. He played just 19 games for the Giants before getting injured. When he recovered from his injury, instead of reinstating him onto their active roster, the Giants released him.

On March 25, by|2006, was signed to a minor league contract by the Cincinnati Reds. On June 16, 2006, Sánchez was released by the Reds after hitting only .225 in 38 games with their Triple-A affiliate the Louisville Bats. [http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.asp?sport=MLB&id=3281]

He was signed to a minor-league contract by the Florida Marlins on December 8, 2006, and was expected to compete for the starting center field role in spring training. He was released by the Marlins on March 28, by|2007, after batting .163 in spring training and losing the center field job to rookie Alejandro De Aza. Later that year, Sanchez signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox and was assigned to their Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, and led the team with a .359 batting average.

Sanchez signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League on May 21, 2008. He was placed on the inactive list by the Ducks on June 30 after hitting .347 in 32 games.

References

ee also

*List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

External links

*baseball-reference|id=s/sanchal03
* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/S/alex-sanchez.shtml Alex Sanchez Major and Minor League Statistics: The Baseball Cube]