Jorge Anthony Sanchez...Is a 2006 graduate of Killian High School in Miami, Florida, where he graduated with a 4.0 grade point average and was a three-time All-Dade County selection...Served as the team captain in 2005 and 2006 and led the team in every offensive category as a senior...Played three years at Boston College and finished collegiate career ranked fifth in school history in home runs (24) and RBI (124), sixth in hits (202) and eighth in runs scored (125)...Batted .317 in 161 career games at BC...Led the Eagles in batting average (.346), slugging percentage (.614), on-base percentage (.443), home runs (tied with 14) and runs scored (63) during final year as a junior in 2009...Also established a single-season school record with 63 runs scored...Was one of three finalists for the 2009 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate catcher...Was also tabbed as one of 30 semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the nation's premier amateur baseball player...Played in the Cape Cod League in 2008 for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and led the team with a .326 batting average in 34 games...Was also named as the starting catcher in the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game and was a member of the All-League team...Signed by Pirates scout Chris Kline...Participated in the Pirates team caravan and PirateFest event this past December.
2014
Was the lone rookie position player to make Pittsburgh's Opening Day roster...Made season debut on 4/2 vs. Chicago (NL) and delivered game-winning single as a pinch hitter in the 16th inning...Had two RBI while making his first start on 4/3 vs. Chicago...Made second start on 4/6 vs. St. Louis and broke 1-1 tie with a game-winning single off Adam Wainwright in the seventh inning...Hit safely in each of his first six games thru 4/16...Was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on 4/19 when Chris Stewart was reinstated from D.L....Homered in his fourth game with the Indians on 4/24 at Toledo...Went 4-for-16 with a homer and five RBI in five Triple-A games from 4/20-25...Was recalled by Pittsburgh on 4/26 after Russell Martin went on the D.L...Had a two-run single on 4/26 at St. Louis...Extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single on 4/27...Raised average to .303 with a two-hit game on 5/2 vs. Toronto...Hit safely in five straight games from 5/10-18...Connected off Yovani Gallardo for first home run on 5/15 at Milwaukee...Homered again two days later at Yankee Stadium off Hiroki Kuroda (game one)...Made 15 starts while Russell Martin was on the D.L. between 4/26 and 5/22 (Pirates went 8-7)...Was optioned back to Triple-A when Martin came off D.L. on 5/23...Went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI in second game back with Indy on 5/27 vs. Buffalo...Tallied 12 RBI in nine Triple-A games between 5/26 and 6/4...Homered twice and had five RBI on 6/4 at Syracuse...Went 4-for-4 with three doubles on 7/11 vs. Columbus...Produced a .519 slugging percentage and a .923 OPS in 26 games during the month of July; 14 of his 21 hits in July were extra-base hits (11 doubles and three homers)...Batted .313 (20-for-64) and recorded five three-hit contests in his last 17 games with Indy...Made a total of 70 appearances behind the plate with Indianapolis and two at first base (8/22 and 8/27)...Was recalled on 9/1 and was used exclusively as a pinch hitter in five September games...Recorded a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter in 11th inning on 9/5 at Wrigley Field...Made a total of 20 appearances (19 starts) behind the plate with the Pirates...Played 10 games with Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League.
2013
Spent majority of season with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he was named MVP of the mid-season All-Star Game after hitting a three-run homer in the 4-2 victory...Was also named to the league's post-season All-Star team...Made 72 appearances behind the plate with Indy and threw out 22 of the 93 baserunners (24%) attempting to steal against him...Also committed 14 errors and had seven passed balls...Hit .311 (28-for-90) against LHP and .259 (64-for-247) against RHP...Established minor league career highs in doubles (27) and home runs (10)...Began season with Indianapolis and hit a two-run walkoff homer with two outs in the ninth inning in a 5-4 win over Louisville on 4/22...Joined the Pirates in New York on 5/11 as a part of the "Taxi Squad," but did not appear in a game before being returned to Indy the following day...Homered three times in a five-game span from 5/28 to 6/2...Had four hits on 5/31 at Columbus...Produced a .369 (24-for-65) average and 16 RBI in 20 games during the month of May...Hit safely in nine straight games from 6/10-20 (11-for-31, .355)...Was recalled by Pittsburgh on 6/21...Made his Major League debut as the designated hitter on 6/23 at Los Angeles (AL); went 1-for-3 with a double off Joe Blanton in his first at bat...Served as the DH again on 6/25 at Seattle and went 1-for-5 with a run scored...Was optioned back to Indianapolis on 6/27 and hit .247 (19-for-77) in his next 21 Triple-A games thru 7/27...Was recalled by Pittsburgh on 7/28...Made his first big league start behind the plate in game two of a doubleheader on 7/30 vs. St. Louis and tallied his his first Major League RBI...Had career-high two hits and connected off Tim Lincecum for first Major League home run on 8/24 at San Francisco...Was optioned to Double-A Altoona on 8/28 and played in four games before being recalled again on 9/3...Hit second big league home run on 9/15; a solo shot off Chicago's Travis Wood at PNC Park...Had second career two-hit game with the Pirates on 9/19 vs. San Diego; also made incredible catch while falling into visitor's dugout in the eighth inning...Made a total of 16 appearances (12 starts) behind the plate with Pittsburgh; did not throw out any of the five runners attempting to steal against him and had two passed balls...Went 13-for-52 (.250) with two homers in his 14 starts with the Pirates (12 as catcher/2 as the designated hitter).
2012
Hit .251 (87-for-347) with 26 doubles, eight home runs and 43 RBI in 102 minor league games between Double-A Altoona
and Triple-A Indianapolis...Established minor league career high in doubles...Began season with Altoona, where he made 37 appearances
behind the plate and threw out 13 of the 49 (27%) runners attempting to steal against him...Tallied lone triple (third career) in first
game on 4/5 vs. Erie...Reached base safely in 19 of his 21 starts during the month of May and batted .289 (22-for-76)...Was promoted
to Indianapolis on 6/4 and made Triple-A debut on 6/5 at Pawtucket...Hit safely in each of his first seven games with Indy...His Triple-A
batting average dipped to .180 following the action on 6/30; hit .255 (37-for-145) in his final 44 games...Homered in three straight games
from 7/2-5 and hit six of his eight home runs during the month of July...Hit safely in seven straight games from 7/1-12 (10-for-29, .345)...
Produced a .271 batting average in August, hitting safely in 13 of his 21 games...Made 59 appearances behind the plate with Indianapolis
and threw out 18 of the 58 (31%) runners attempting to steal against him...Also had four errors and seven passed balls among his 500
total chances...Started Game 1 of the International League playoff series against Charlotte and went hitless in two at bats.
2011
Spent entire season with Double-A Altoona and singled in first at bat on 4/7 at Erie...Made 104 appearances behind the plate and went 7-for-37 (.189) with a homer in 11 games as the designated hitter...Homered in third game on 4/10 at Erie...Tallied second professional triple on 5/14 vs. Erie...Had first pro sac bunt on 5/24 vs. Bowie...Produced his highest monthly average in May, hitting .280 (21-for-75) with 10 RBI...Hit .205 (16-for-78) in June and .213 (19-for-89) in July before rebounding to produce a .274 (23-for-84) average in August...Knocked in season-high four runs on 8/16 vs. Erie...Hit fifth and final home run on 8/23 vs. Richmond.
2010
Season was limited to just 59 games due to injury...Was named to Florida State League mid-season All-Star team and selected to play in MLB Futures Game, but did not particpate...Spent entire season with Bradenton, where he made 40
appearances at catcher and went 20-for-60 (.333) in 17 games as the designated hitter...Batted .348 (23-for-66) with three homers
and 18 RBI in 19 games during the month of April...Homered in back-to-back games on 4/16-17...Went 13-for-23 (.565) in a sixgame
span from 5/25-30, raising average from .290 to .327...Tallied his stolen bases on 6/16 at St. Lucie and 6/21 vs. St.
Lucie...Homered for last time and was hit twice by pitches on 6/21...Suffered a broken jaw after taking a pitch to the face on 6/22
vs. St. Lucie and missed remainder of the season...Had surgery to repair two small fractures to the left side of his jaw on
6/24...Returned to action in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .206 (14-for-68) with four homers and nine RBI in 18 games with
Mesa...Homered twice and knocked in four runs on 11/11 at Surprise...Hit .316 against lefthanders and .163 against
righthanders...Was selected to play in the Arizona Fall Leagues Rising Stars Game.
2009
Hit a combined .309 (55-for-178) while playing at three different levels in first professional season after being selected fourth overall by Pittsburgh in the First-Year Player Draft...Made professional debut with Single-A State College just eight days after signing on 6/12...Singled and knocked in a run in his professional debut on 6/20 at Williamsport...Hit safely in
three of his four games with State College before being promoted to Single-A West Virginia on 6/25...Went 15-for-34 (.441) while
hitting safely in eight of his first nine games with the Power...Hit first professional home run while also knocking in five runs on
7/10 vs. Delmarva...Ranked sixth among South Atlantic League batters with a .348 average (24-for-69) during the month of
July...Knocked in a run in eight straight games (16 RBI total) from 8/9-20...Recorded lone stolen base on 8/9 at Hickory...Took home
South Atlantic League Batter-of-the-Week honors for the week of 8/10-16 after going 4-for-16 with two home runs and 10 RBI in
four games...Recorded lone triple on 8/28 at Bowling Green...Knocked in at least one run in 14 of his last 17 games with the
Power...Was promoted to High-A Lynchburg for final three games of the regular season and the playoffs...Doubled and knocked in a
run in debut with Hillcats on 9/5 at Salem....Doubled, homered and knocked in three runs in eight games for the Carolina League
Champion Hillcats in the postseason...Hit a combined .467 (14-for-30) against lefthanders for the season...Was ranked by Baseball
America as Pittsburgh's third-best prospect following the season.
