Former 3-Time All-Star Freddy Sanchez Had to Learn to Walk as a Child and Went on to Have a Successful MLB Career

Freddy Sanchez is one MLB player who had a lot of success during his career. He was named to multiple All-Star teams and won a World Series champ. Sanchez overcame a lot when he was a kid.

When he was born, he received an initial medical prognosis that he might never walk. But after undergoing surgery at 13 months and years of physical therapy, he defied the odds and learned how to walk.

Freddy Sanchez grew up loving baseball

Growing up in California, Sanchez was a big Los Angeles Dodgers fan. In high school, Sanchez was a three-year varsity player. As a senior, he was named the MVP of the Foothill League of the California Interscholastic Federation. He was rated the No. 3 prospect in his region his senior year. Sanchez was drafted out of high school by the Atlanta Braves in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB draft. He ended up attending Glendale Community College. During his two years there, he batted .407, won the Western State Conference MVP Award, and helped guide the team to a co-championship in their conference.

After two years at community college, Sanchez transferred to Dallas Baptist University in Texas and played in the NAIA World Series. After Dallas Baptist switched coaches, Sanchez transferred to Oklahoma City University for his senior season. Sanchez had an impressive senior season batting .434 with 13 home runs and 59 RBIs and was named an NAIA All-Star.

After his college career was over, Sanchez was drafted again, but this time he was selected much higher than the first time. The Red Sox selected him in the 11th round of the 2000 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2002 and played in 12 games for the Red Sox. Sanchez spent two years with the Red Sox spending most of his time playing in the minor leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Sanchez for the 2004 season. Pittsburgh made the right decision in acquiring Sanchez.

Freddy Sanchez had a lot of success during his MLB career

In 2005 Sanchez played in his first full season and finished with a .291 batting average playing in 132 games. The next season Sanchez took his game to another level. He made the All-Star team for the first time in his career and finished the season with a .344 batting average, and he was named the NL batting champion for the 2006 season.

Sanchez continued to have success playing for the Pirates. He was named an All-Star for the second-straight season and batted .304 for the 2007 season. Sanchez was one of the best hitters in the game, and he knew how to use the whole field. He made his third and final All-Star during the 2009 season. Sanchez was a fan favorite in Pittsburgh and contributed a lot to the team. After six years with the Pirates, Sanchez was traded to the San Francisco Giants. In 2010 he was a part of the team that won the World Series defeating the Texas Rangers. He played an important role on the World Series team. Sanchez ended his career playing for the Giants and retired in 2015. He finished his career with a .297 batting average, 48 home runs, and 371 RBIs.

Freddy Sanchez was born with a right club foot and a severely pigeon-toed left foot

Sanchez was born with adversity. He did not have a high chance to walk, given the condition he had. Treatment was done immediately on his right foot. The day after he was born, there were casts put on both of his legs. One cast covered his entire leg, and the other one went up to his knee. The cast was put on his right leg in an attempt to correct his club foot. At 13 months, he had to get surgery to fix his club foot.

At a young age, Sanchez was determined to learn to walk, and he did just that. Years later, he would become one of the best MLB players in the game. He went from possibly never being able to walk to fulfilling his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.