By Josh Boyd
May 27, 2003

Alex Sanchez' days in Milwaukee seemed numbered once Scott Podsednik took over his leadoff spot and center-field job two weeks ago. Rumblings about Sanchez being released surfaced as he wore out his welcome by responding to his demotion by pouting and further distancing himself from teammates. On Tuesday, the Brewers found a taker for the speedy 26-year-old Cuban, sending him to the Tigers for two prospects, lefthander Chad Petty and outfielder Gary "Noochie" Varner.

Despite his top-of-the-scale speed, Sanchez has drawn more attention for his baserunning mistakes, and his inability to work counts and get on base made him a liability atop the lineup. Originally drafted by the Devil Rays in the fifth round out of Miami-Dade CC Wolfson in 1996 after defecting from Cuba on a raft, he had an up-and-down minor league career before the Brewers claimed him on waivers in April 2001. He took over the center-field job last year, hitting .289-1-33 with 37 steals. But Sanchez drew just 31 walks, good for a .343 on-base percentage. After hitting .333 in April, he has batted just .204 in May while his OBP dipped to .316. He has been successful on just eight of 14 steal attempts.

Petty, 21, struggled with a move to high Class A Lakeland this year. After going 15-10, 3.24 in 161 innings for low Class A West Michigan in 2002, he went 3-4, 4.40 in the Florida State League. In 57 innings, he allowed 66 hits and had a 36-10 strikeout-walk ratio. Drafted in the second round out of an Ohio high school in 2000, Petty ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2001 when he went 6-0, 1.11. Petty's fastball is regularly clocked around 88-91 mph, and he throws a slurvy breaking ball and changeup. Developing better command is the key for him.

Varner, 22, has been a hitting machine since the Reds drafted him in the 10th round out of St. Catharine (Ky.) JC in 2000, yet he has received little attention as a prospect. The Tigers acquired him last summer as part of a four-player deal for Brian Moehler. Varner hit .309-10-69 with 37 steals in the low Class A Midwest League prior to the trade last season, and just .176-0-1 in 17 at-bats after. He entered this season with a .309 career average and was hitting .303-3-30 for Double-A Erie through 175 at-bats. His speed, arm and outfield defense are also positives.