Sanabria played two years at Indian River State (Fla.) JC and slashed .400/.471/.578 with four homers and a 28/30 K/BB ratio in his final spring as a sophomore in 2022. The Padres selected him in the 18th round that summer and signed him for only $50,000. Sanabria has fought for his place since, opening his first full season in the Arizona Complex League and then getting the bulk of this spring at Single-A Lake Elsinore, where he slashed .311/.433/.493 with eight homers and more walks (48) than strikeouts (46) in 59 games. San Diego promoted him to High-A Fort Wayne in late June.
The left-handed slugger looks relaxed at the plate, starting with a slightly open stance before opening a leg kick that allows him to lift and pull on the ball. He’s worked high walk rates and on-base percentages at every stop up the chain, and he has the strength to reach 20 homers when given a full season of at-bats. He’s started to get a little more exposed at High-A, however, as his K rate has crept up and he’s hitting more harmless infield flies instead of driving the ball toward the grass.
Sanabria needs to hit because he’s limited to first base defensively with well-below-average speed. He was actually drafted as a catcher but played only six professional games there in 2022 before moving to the cold corner permanently the following year. His progression from such a low pick has made for a fun journey through the Padres pipeline, but Double-A will prove a real test of whether Sanabria can break through to the top level someday.
