page_title: Freddy Sanchez
section_title: 2008
hierarchical_section_title: Freddy Sanchez / Career / Pittsburgh Pirates: Batting title, All-star / 2008
caption_attribution_description: English: Jason Kendall for the Milwaukee Brewers blocks an attempted slide into home plate by Freddy Sanchez.
context_page_description: Frederick Phillip Sanchez Jr. is an American former professional baseball second baseman. Sanchez played in Major League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right-handed.
  Born with a severely pigeon-toed left foot and a club right foot, Sanchez defied doctors' expectations by learning how to walk normally. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the Foothill League his senior year at Burbank High School, getting drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 30th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. However, Sanchez chose to attend college instead, spending two years at Glendale Community College, one year at Dallas Baptist University, and one year at Oklahoma City University, where he was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-Star. Following his college career, he was drafted by the Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2000 draft.
  Sanchez made his major league debut with the Red Sox in 2002 and played a few games with them in 2003 before getting traded to the Pirates.
context_section_description: On February 5, the Pirates and Sanchez agreed to a two-year deal, with an option for 2010. The contract paid Sanchez $11 million guaranteed but had the potential to be as high as $18.4 million. On May 4, he had three hits and scored two runs in a 5–4 victory over the Giants. Batting .230 entering the Pirates' game on July 21, Sanchez hoped for improved performance in the remainder of the year. On July 21, he hit a three-run inside-the-park home run against Tim Byrdak as the Pirates defeated the Houston Astros 9–3. The next day, he had three hits and two RBI, including a solo home run against Jack Cassel as the Pirates defeated the Astros 8–2. On September 6, he had a season-high four hits, two runs scored, and two RBI, but the effort came in a 7–6 loss to the Giants. By batting .347 in his final 54 games (starting July 21), Sanchez raised his season average to .271 by the end of the year. He also hit nine home runs and had 52 RBI in 2008.
caption: Sanchez sliding into home against Jason Kendall of the Milwaukee Brewers
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