Gary Sanchez Powers Yankees Past Pirates; Ryan O'Hearn Lifts Royals Over Dodgers

Players of the Day for Thursday, March 15, 2018

Grapefruit League

Sanchez: HR, 2B, 5 RBI

With the addition of Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees may establish this season one of the best middle lineups in the history of baseball, and one which could be together for quite some time, considering the ages of Aaron Judge (25), Stanton (28) and catcher Gary Sanchez (25), who will - in varying order - be the two, three, four or five hitters in New York's impressive lineup.

In their 9-5 victory over visiting Pittsburgh, Sanchez was in the cleanup spot, behind Judge and Stanton, and he took the opportunity to drive in five runs with a three-run belt in the third inning, following up with a two-run double in the fourth.

Smooth-swinging Sanchez is batting a solid .370 this Spring, with three dingers and nine RBI. Last season, his first full year as the starting catcher, despite missing 30-40 games, Sanchez was on the mark with 33 home runs and 90 RBI, numbers he will almost certainly challenge this year.

The the win kept the Yankees on pace with the Astros and Marlins. Houston leads the Grapefruit League by one game over Miami, with the Yanks another half-game back.

Cactus League

O'Hearn: 3-3, 2HR, 5RBI

Fantasy owners take note: Kansas City may have a diamond in the rough with slugging Ryan O'Hearn, a left-handed first baseman who could add some serious pop to the Royals' offense this season.

O'Hearn, who spent the past four years bounding around the minor leagues, last season made it to AAA Omaha in the Pacific Coast League, knocking out 18 home runs with 53 RBI in 114 games.

Listed at third on the depth chart behind Lucas Duda and Hunter Dozier, O'Hearn has a very good chance of significant playing time, either at first or as a DH.

In Thursday's 19-hit, 14-8 win over the Dodgers, O'Hearn was able to show off some of his muscle early in the game, socking a three-run homer in the first inning as the Royals built a six-run inning.

After the Dodgers responded with three of their own in the bottom frame, O'Hearn again provided some lift with a two-run homer. He later singled, but was stranded, finishing the day with a 3-for-3 effort, two runs and five RBI. His homers were his second and third. He's batting a cool .400 with a .464 OBP.

The win evened KC's record at 10-10, dropping the Dodgers to an 11-9 mark.