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... to throw up Erasmo comparisons when it comes to Sanchez. Lemme explain...
Victor Sanchez was born and grew up in Venezuela, and so was given the opportunity to learn the game in one of the best baseball cultures south of the US.
Erasmo, on the other hand, was born in Nicaragua where baseball is almost nonexistent.
From the time he was 12, Victor Sanchez was playing baseball at some pretty high levels and getting some of the best instruction available.
At 12, Erasmo Ramirez had to leave his home in Nicaragua and traveled to San Salvador, El Salvador to attend a school that gave boys some basic training in baseball. During this time, Erasmo was determined to become a professional baseball player in the US, so he taught himself to speak English.
At 16, Victor Sanchez was the prize of the international scene and commanded top dollar, which the Mariners paid when they signed him.
As a 17 year old, Erasmo Ramirez was spotted by Jorge Bahaia, who in turn introduced him to Mariners scouts Ubaldo Heredia and Bob Engle, and in September of 2007 Erasmo signed his first professional contract.
Sanchez was brought stateside as a 17 years old.
Erasmo spent his first two years as a professional playing in the Venezuelan Summer League, and was then brought to the US after having a spectacular season in the VSL in 2009 (2009 Mariners Pitcher of the Year).
Sanchez, with the training and experience that he gained from the time he was 12, and with his own natural talents, went to the Northwest League and dominated and is on everyone's lips as a phenom.
Erasmo was sent to the Midwest League in 2010 where he owned the league and was a Midwest League mid-season all-star and a post-season all-star. Erasmo was also named the Clinton LumberKings Pitcher of the Year. In 2011 Erasmo finally got some love and jumped over the cesspit known as High-A High Desert and went straight to AA Jackson. After showing that he knew how to pitch at the AA level, Erasmo was promoted to AAA Tacoma where he struggled a little bit. During his time in AA and at AAA Erasmo had a jump in his fastball velocity from 90-92 mph to 93-95 mph
2012 Erasmo repeated at AAA Tacoma and dominated the PCL and was promoted to the Mariners where he quickly slipped into the rotation.
Ok, so now you are probably wondering what my point is (and, so am I all of a sudden...). My point is that Erasmo embodies what a blue-collar worker is. He came from very humble beginnings, had to leave his home at a young age to chase his dream, busted his rump until he was noticed, and then busted it even harder. Erasmo did not have fans early on because he was so... projectable. He gained a few fans (me, G, and a field full of crickets) from his hard work and maximizing the talent that he has.
If Victor Sanchez has one tenth of the drive and determination that Erasmo has displayed, then he could be a force to reckon with. I'm not saying that he doesn't of course, but the comparison isn't fair until we start to see some of that drive and determination from young Mr Filthy Sanchez.