Phil Anastasia: Winslow Twp.'s Sanchez shortstop with potential

Deep in the heart of Phillies country, Pedro Sanchez admits to another allegiance: to the New York Mets.

It's not just because Sanchez, an acrobatic shortstop for Winslow Township, prefers the playing style of New York shortstop Jose Reyes to Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

"Rollins is my second favorite," Sanchez said.

It's more because when the Mets come to Citizens Bank Park, Sanchez and his family get front-row seats behind home plate, courtesy of New York centerfielder Carlos Beltran.

Sanchez's mother, Sandy, and Beltran grew up as next-door neighbors in Puerto Rico. The Mets outfielder treats the Sanchez family to eight free tickets and invites them to the family room in the stadium after every game.

"He's a nice guy," Pedro Sanchez said. "He's very religious. He's the kind of professional athlete you can look up to."

The 17-year-old Sanchez is a long way from the major leagues. But the talented junior is making his mark in South Jersey baseball and seems destined to continue his career after he graduates from Winslow Township.

Eagles coach Keith Regn said Sanchez has the best hands he's seen on a Winslow Township player.

"He's the best fielding shortstop I've ever coached," Regn said. "He just got those soft hands, and he picks up everything.

"He does things out there I've never seen another player do. I'm always having other coaches come up to me and say, 'He's unreal.' "

Camden County Tech coach Barry Galasso, whose team has played against Winslow Township twice this season, said Sanchez is spectacular in the field.

"He made a play [Thursday] that might have been the best I've ever seen a high school kid make," Galasso said. "One of my fastest kids hit the ball up the middle. He [Sanchez] dove, spun around and threw him out by two steps.

"He's unbelievable. I've been coaching in the Olympic Conference for 10 years, and he's as good as I've ever seen."

Regn said Sanchez has been drawing interest from Division I college programs because of his defensive prowess, speed and offensive potential.

"I played at West Virginia, and he's right there with those guys as a defensive player," Regn said. "No doubt about it. He's that good right now.

"He just needs to get a little bigger and stronger and that will help him at the plate."

The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Sanchez hit .350 as a sophomore. He's batting around .400 this season, with 14 runs scored in Winslow Township's first five games. In Thursday's victory over Camden County Tech, Sanchez cracked his first home run.

"He's always on base," said Regn, whose team will travel to North Carolina next week for three games. "He's completely dedicated to baseball. He sleeps, eats and drinks baseball."

Sanchez said he's been playing baseball since he was 6. He started out with the Little League in Chesilhurst, then moved to Winslow Township. In the summers, he has played for the South Jersey Hawks and Glendora Gators AAU teams.

"I wake up and all I think about is baseball," Sanchez said. "I just love to play the game."

Sanchez said playing in the field is his favorite.

"I've always been a shortstop," Sanchez said. "I love it. I always want them to hit the ball to me. Every pitch I'm hoping they hit it to me."

Sanchez said most of his friends are Phillies fans. He likes the home team, too, especially since they are the defending World Series champions.

But he can't help but root for the Mets because of Beltran.

"I try to keep it quiet but my friends all know," Sanchez said. "My dad [Jose] is a big Phillies fan. When we go to the games, he's rooting for the Phillies and we're sitting with all these Mets fans. I'm like, 'Dad, you've got to keep it quiet.' "