TAMPA, Fla. -- The pavement path from Yankee Stadium's press gate to the parking lot is a brief stroll, but for some players, it's just about all of the South Bronx they'll ever see.
Not Humberto Sanchez. A graduate of South Bronx High School who called 166th Street and University Avenue home, Sanchez's professional career could reach symmetry just four blocks from the building where he learned chemistry and geometry.
"It's a great opportunity to be able to play back home," Sanchez said. "That's the first thing that came into my mind. It's a great chance to be able to be in here and play with some great players, and showcase what I can do."
A bulky, hard-throwing right-hander with a mid-90s fastball, a curveball he uses as an out pitch and a developing slider, the 23-year-old Sanchez was considered one of the Tigers' better pitching prospects over the last few seasons.
He had his most successful and consistent season last year, splitting the campaign between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo. Sanchez was a combined 10-3 with a 2.63 ERA, striking out 129 in 123 innings, and he held opponents to a .220 average.
"His stuff just explodes on you," recalls Yankees infielder Eric Duncan, who faced Sanchez in the Arizona Fall League. "That's the main thing you remember. He's definitely one of those guys who has second, late life with his fastball. You don't forget something like that."
After watching best friend Joel Zumaya splash on to the big-league scene with Detroit, Sanchez said he was beginning to envision himself reporting to Comerica Park, breaking in with the youthful and talented Tigers pitching staff.
That changed in November, when he was acquired by the Yankees with two Minor Leaguers -- Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett -- for outfielder Gary Sheffield.
Suddenly, Sanchez found himself making his annual visit to South Bronx High, speaking to young players about the importance of pursuing their dreams, but doing so as an employee of the New York Yankees.
It seemed apropos on Thursday as Sanchez -- his gold chain glinting in the Florida sun -- fired fastballs toward Yankees hitters like Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui.
Maybe the homecoming simply realized the inevitable, that Sanchez was destined to play in the shadows of his old neighborhood.
"I'm trying to keep a level mind right now, until I actually get the chance to accomplish that feat," Sanchez said. "Nothing is set in stone yet. I feel like I've got one foot in, but you never want to have a complacent feeling."
Sanchez moved to the Bronx from the Dominican Republic when he was 10, and though he acknowledges the rough-and-tumble reputation his neighborhood carries, he also feels that he garnered a certain mental edge from being raised there.
"It was a great childhood. I can't complain," Sanchez said. "It was a little different being around that area, but there were a lot of good people in that area. They made it a good community."
He fondly recalls spending afternoons in the High Bridge complex, shooting hoops or playing backyard football until sundown and hanging out with friends on an old pedestrian bridge that crosses over to Manhattan.
His gritty mound demeanor took its cues from former Yankee Kevin Brown, who, at that time, was grunting through 230-plus innings of work for the Padres and Marlins. Years earlier, Sanchez suited up in the Rolando Paulino Little League, playing games at Macombs Dam Park with Yankee Stadium in plain sight.
He said the constant activity kept him on the field and out of trouble.
"I think that was the antidote," Sanchez said. "I was always doing something. There was always a lot of competition and you always wanted to get picked for those games."
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Sanchez was originally selected in the ninth round by the Dodgers in 2000, but opted not to sign and trudged through a year of hour-long commutes to SUNY Rockland in Suffern, N.Y.
A shoulder injury -- one of numerous aches Sanchez has suffered in his brief career; the latest, a right elbow ailment, cost him two games last year -- kept him off the playing field until his 2002 season at Connors State College in Oklahoma, where he piqued the Tigers' interest.
Flash forward to 2007, and Sanchez is now on the cusp of life in the big leagues. After Thursday's workout, Giambi shook his head and wondered how the Tigers could have let this big boy get away.
"He's huge," Giambi said. "Boy, I don't know how you let a guy like that go."
Following the initial shock of the trade, Sanchez said he came to realize that the Yankees may offer him the opportunity to set up shop in the Majors sooner.
"I feel like I have a chance to establish myself," Sanchez said. "Not to put anything against this organization, but the rotation [with Detroit] was a lot younger."
The Yankees' 2007 rotation appears well-secured, but neither Andy Pettitte nor Mike Mussina is guaranteed to return for 2008, among other possible openings.
At some point, the Yankees may turn the reins over to the likes of Sanchez, Phil Hughes or Ross Ohlendorf. While Sanchez eagerly awaits that day, he wisely reminds reporters that prospects are still considered suspect until they prove otherwise.
Some within the Yankees believe Sanchez has the stuff to be a Major League starter; others believe his mental approach could satisfy the needs of a big-league closer.
The Yankees will use Sanchez as a starter this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but he says he will keep his options open toward the late innings.
"I've always been a starter, but I'm not closed-minded about going to the 'pen," Sanchez said. "As long as I can help, it doesn't matter to me. I see myself pitching -- I don't care if it's the first, eighth or ninth inning. [I'll do] whatever I can do to help."
