Jesus Sanchez off to career-best start early in Toronto Blue Jays season

TORONTO – Jesus Sanchez has brought a simple approach to his first four regular-season games with the Toronto Blue Jays: hit it up the middle.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 at the plate, driving in the first run of the game, as the Toronto Blue Jays topped the Colorado Rockies 5-1 on Tuesday. That performance improved the outfielder’s batting average to .462 with a 1.255 on-base plus slugging percentage.

“I’m enjoying this moment, I’m having fun, but I want to talk about approach, especially for the year,” said Sanchez through translator Hector Lebron. “I came in here with the mentality to stay through the middle, gap to gap, all the time.

“That’s the approach I’m going to continue to do through the season and hopefully it works out for me and for the team.”

Toronto got Sanchez in a one-for-one deal with the Houston Astros for fellow outfielder Joey Loperfido on Feb. 13.

Sanchez, 28, hit .237 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 134 games last season between the Miami Marlins and Houston. The left-handed hitter had 73 home runs in 580 games over six major-league seasons before joining the Blue Jays.

His best-ever season was in 2024 when he had a .252 batting average, 123 hits including 18 home runs and 64 RBIs. His highest OPS was .808 in 2021, also with the Marlins.

When Sanchez joined Toronto he and the Blue Jays hitting coaches agreed he had to avoid pulling the ball, instead focusing on solid contact up the middle.

“I want to stay back through the middle, left centre, right centre,” said Sanchez. “That’s what we’ve been working on since spring training and obviously it’s working pretty good for me.

“I’m feeling good with that approach, and I’m going to continue to keep working on that.”

It’s early in the season, but in 16 plate appearances Sanchez has a .675 Expected Weighted On-base Average — a Sabermetric stat measuring a hitter’s skill based on quality of contact — and a .538 Expected Batting Average. He tops Major League Baseball in both of those advanced stat categories which are predictive rather than based on results.

Sanchez struck out for the first time this season on Tuesday and has walked in 16.7 per cent of his plate appearances for a .563 on-base percentage. 

His strategy of trying to keep the ball in the middle of the field has resulted in a 22.2 barrel percentage, one of the most reliable metrics for predicting power because it shows that a hitter is consistently making optimal contact.

“He’s swinging at the good pitches and he’s swinging with intent. That’s basically it,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “I think he’s realizing our approach and within that what we’re asking him to do, and it’s paying off.

“He’s got a lot of talent and I like what I see.”

So does surefire Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer, who earned the win for Toronto on Tuesday.

“I faced him over the years, so I know he’s a quality at bat and presents problems for you,” said Scherzer. “It’s good that he’s on our team, presenting problems for the opposing team. 

“It’s good to see him get his opportunity and come through in some big spots for us.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2026.