Another Alex Sanchez played a short stint for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989.
Alexis (Alex) Sanchez, (born August 26 1976 in Havana, Cuba), is a center fielder who currently plays with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Sanchez immigrated from Cuba on a raft, in 1994, at the age of eighteen. He and his companions were picked up by the Coast Guard after three days at sea, they were detained at Guantanamo Bay. Sanchez stayed there for about 16 months, and afterwards settled in Miami, Florida. He became a United States citizen in late 2004. He is married with two sons.
Sanchez attended Miami-Dade Community College . He was drafted 154th, in the 5th round of the 1996 entry draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2001, he was claimed off of waivers, and played his first game on June 15, 2001. Sanchez played in various outfield positions and as a pinch hitter, before being traded during the 2003 season to the Detroit Tigers. On March 15, 2005, he was released by the Tigers, due mostly to his poor performance defensively. Shortly afterward he was acquired by the Devil Rays.
Sanchez is known for his quick reactions and base-stealing abilities, and is one of the few players in the Major Leagues who bunts frequently; however, he is not by any definition a power hitter and rarely draws walks from pitchers. On the other hand, he is a poor defensive player, and is often inconsistent in his fielding. He spent most of 2004 with a leg injury.
On April 3, 2005, he became the first Major League Baseball player to be suspended for violating the league's newly adopted drug policy, which is designed to stop the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. He was suspended for 10 days without pay, an amount totaling to $32,787 [1]. Although the use of performance-enhancing drugs is generally associated with home run hitters, Sanchez had four career home runs in 1,351 at-bats at the time of his suspension. Sanchez did not appeal the suspension and stated that he routinely used over the counter nutritional supplements, one of which was banned on January 15, and that had not checked what he was using against the new rules.
