Former Minnesota Twins minor league player Henry Sanchez passed away on April 30, 2017 at the age of 30 after a four-year battle with a rare soft-tissue cancer called synovial sarcoma. Sanchez was one of San Diego County’s great sluggers while attending Mission Bay High School.
Henry Thomas Sanchez Jr. was drafted by the Minnesota Twins as a first baseman out of high school in 2005 as a supplementary first round selection and 39th pick over-all in what a very good draft with numerous 2005 first rounders playing in the big leagues today. The Twins used their first pick in round one to select RHP Matt Garza 25th over-all. Only 11 of the 48 players picked in the first round in 2005 failed to reach the big leagues, unfortunately; for Sanchez and the Twins he was one of those unlucky eleven players.
Henry Sanchez signed with Minnesota for a reported $900,000 and reported to the 2005 Twins Gulf Coast League Twins to start his pro career. Injuries derailed the big league hopes of Sanchez who was compared to big-league sluggers Andres Galarraga and Prince Fielder but Sanchez never appeared in more than 60 games in a season and never hit more than 6 home runs. The power that Sanchez had never had a chance to blossom and his baseball career came to an abrupt end when the Twins released him in 2009. Sanchez was suspended by MLB for 50 games in April 2009 after testing positive for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Services for Henry Sanchez were held May 7, 2017. Our condolences to all of Henry’s family and friends.