It's been almost exactly 19 months since Freddy Sanchez appeared in a Major League game, but the former NL Batting Champ is drawing heavy interest, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Insider required). Sanchez's agent Paul Cobbe tells Crasnick that roughly 20 teams have asked to see Sanchez's medical reports.
Sanchez, 35, hasn't played a game since June 2011 — the result of operations on his shoulder and back. He won the National League batting title in 2006 when he hit .344/.378/.473. In 3,686 career plate appearances between the Pirates and Giants, Sanchez is a .297/.335/.413 hitter.
Sanchez has extensive experience and third base and second base, though he hasn't manned the hot corner since 2006. In terms of fielding, Ultimate Zone Rating is a fan of his glove at both positions, though the Fielding Bible pegs him as a slightly below-average defender at second base.
Cobbe tells Crasnick that Sanchez is healthy and has been keeping himself in good shape, playing pick-up basketball for two-to-three hours a day, six days per week.
