Luis Sanabria had a broomstick and a collection of Goya beans and bottle caps when he arrived in San Antonio, Texas, for the Missions’ opening series in April. That’s how his dad learned to hit while idolizing Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico and how he taught his son to hit.
They ran through their drills before every high school game in Miami and when COVID interrupted his senior year.
They even did them off the back of cruise ships while on vacation.
The Padres certainly have far more sophisticated means of developing Romeo Sanabria’s bat-to-ball skills, but sometimes father still knows best.
“How much he pushed me to swing every day of my life as a kid,” Romeo Sanabria said, “is one of the reasons I’m competing in the box and ready to hit no matter how hard a pitcher throws. I have the hand-eye to get the bat to ball.”
Clearly.
The 23-year-old Sanabria entered the week leading the Double-A Texas League with a .326 batting average, a win for Padres organization who spent a mere $50,000 on him nearly three years ago as an 18th-round shot in the dark.
Sanabria was mostly a catcher at Indian River State Junior College and is playing catch-up as he learns first base in the minors, but he’s hit at every level in pushing himself onto the organization’s radar.
Ranked No. 16 in the system by MLB.com, Sanabria is a .303/.398/.464 hitter since opting to sign after the 2022 draft. He had interest from the University of Miami and Florida International, but he never had much heat on him as a high-schooler and decided that the opportunity to play, for however little he’d get as a late Day-3 draftee, was too enticing to up.
“I wanted to go play,” Sanabria said. “I wanted to start that process.”
That included drilling down on his footwork as he made first base his primary position, something that remains a focus today as he inches closer to San Diego. Of course, both Sanabria and the organization know that he’ll go as far as his bat carries him.
To date, that journey does not include much power in the traditional sense.
The left-handed-hitting Sanabria hit eight homers in 66 games in 2023, 11 homers in 125 games last year and has five in 47 games to start this first full season at Double-A San Antonio. He also has 64 doubles in 871 at-bats as a pro and more of those will go over the wall as he grows into more brute strength.
The organization, however, is not talked to Sanabria one bit about improving his launch angle.
His gap-to-gap, line drive approach is already a perfect fit for the Petco Park hitting that’s being stressed throughout the minor league system.
“If you hit the ball in the air there, the ball is going to die,” Sanabria said. “The way I hit really helps because I like to spray the ball and hit hard liners into the gap.”
Just like dad taught him.
Wednesday’s scoreboard
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (34-41)
Round Rock 6, Chihuahuas 3: LHP Kyle Hart (2-2, 3.99 ERA) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk in 4 ⅔ innings in the loss. RHP Carter Loewen (0.00 ERA) turned in 1⅓ scoreless innings in his El Paso debut. RHP Alek Jacob (9.00 ERA) struck out two in a scoreless inning. C Rodolfo Duran (.654 OPS) went 3-for-4 with an RBI. 3B Mike Brosseau (.664 OPS) and CF Bryce Johnson (.866 OPS) both had doubles.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (32-27)
Missions 8, Amarillo 2: RHP Luis Patiño (0.77 ERA) allowed a run in 3⅔ innings in the start. RHP Enmanuel Pinales (2-3, 7.27 ERA) threw four scoreless innings in the win. RHP Tyson Neighbors (9.00 ERA) allowed a home run in his Double-A debut. CF Nerwilian Cedeno (.537 OPS) drove in three runs on his first homer. RF Ripken Reyes (.569 OPS) drove in three runs on two hits, including a triple.
HIGH SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (29-30)
South Bend 5, TinCaps 0: RHP Clark Candiotti (1-5, 5.40 ERA) allowed two runs in the first inning in the loss. RHP Sean Barnett (0.00 ERA) struck out a batter, walked a batter and allowed a hit in 1⅔ innings. RHP Garrett Hawkins (2.39 ERA) walked a batter over two scoreless innings. DH Rosman Verdugo (.826 OPS) went 1-for-2 with a triple and two walks.
LOW SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (28-31)
Storm 4, Visalia 3: LHP Kash Mayfield (3.91 ERA) struck out six over three no-hit innings in his second start back from shoulder discomfort. Mayfield threw 28 of his 39 pitches for strikes. RHP Kannon Kemp (1-0, 3.60 ERA) allowed three runs—two earned—in five innings in his California League debut. He struck out two and walked one. Kemp, an eighth-round pick in 2023, had a 4.88 ERA in 24 innings to start his career this year in the Arizona Complex League. 1B Lamar King Jr. (.759 OPS) went 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a walk. SS Ryan Jackson (.899 OPS) went 2-for-4 with a run scored. LF Kaden Hollow (.766 OPS) went 2-for-3 with an RBI, a walk and a run scored.
ROOKIE ACL PADRES (8-21)
Padres 15, D-backs 11: LF Emil Turbi (.579 OPS) drove in three runs on three hits, including a double. 1B Albert Fabian (.785 OPS) and CF Donte Grant (.654 OPS) both drove in two runs on two hits.
