Pittsburgh Pirates

BURBANK — Freddy Sanchez is staying a Pirate. Sanchez, an All-Star second baseman and former Burbank High and Glendale Community College baseball standout, agreed to terms Tuesday on a multi-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The three-year deal is reportedly estimated to be $18.4 million and could keep him with the organization through the 2010 season. According to mlb.com, the contract includes two guaranteed years plus a third-year option. The third year is reported to be a club option with a potential buyout if the organization does not exercise it. However, Sanchez can automatically OK the option to be picked up, if he meets specific criteria during the previous two years.

Sanchez to be honored at events Freddy Sanchez, who starred for the Burbank High and Glendale Community College baseball teams, will be honored Friday at two events, sponsored by the Burbank Baseball Booster Club. Sanchez, who won the National League batting title last season as a starting third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, will have his Burbank jersey retired and the city of Burbank will proclaim "Freddy Sanchez Day" at a ceremony at the Burbank High baseball field at 3 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., a banquet event at The Castaway restaurant will honor the National League batting champion.

Catching up with locals who are competing in the professional ranks: BASEBALL Eli Albertson, outfielder, Fort Worth Cats: The former Burroughs High standout has been steady and has contributed to the independent team, which competes in the Central League of Professional Baseball. In 69 games, Albertson is batting .264 average (51 for 193) and has 30 runs batted in, 32 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and five home runs. The season ends for Albertson, 25, and the Cats today, as they face the San Angelo Colts in the regular-season finale.

Sanchez, Pirates still apart on contract With less than three weeks until Spring Training begins, Freddy Sanchez is still without a contract. Sanchez, 30, a former Burbank High and Glendale Community College standout, and the Pittsburgh Pirates still haven’t worked out a deal for next season. There was a noon deadline on Friday for agreements to be made with players eligible for arbitration before athletes and clubs are required to exchange arbitration figures.

FREDDY SANCHEZ Burbank High; third baseman; Pittsburgh Pirates: Prior to this year, the most games the Burbank High graduate played during a major league season was 20 in 2003 when he was called up to the Boston Red Sox. With limited experience, Sanchez had logged just 41 games in three seasons with the Red Sox and Pirates. So, with that kind of track record, many wondered how the infielder would hold up if he was ever given the opportunity to play as an everyday player.

BURBANK — Freddy Sanchez just can’t stay healthy these days. Sanchez, the starting second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates and a former Burbank High standout, apparently suffered back problems while running the bases Sunday during the first inning of Pittsburgh’s 3-1 home loss to the San Diego Padres. The 30-year-old Sanchez, who was the 2006 National League batting champion, was out of the starting lineup for Monday with what has been reported as back spasms.

Jeff Tully Freddy Sanchez felt secure as a baseball player in the Boston Red Sox organization. Since being drafted by Boston in the 11th round of the first-year player draft in 2000, the former Burbank High and Glendale Community College star felt like a well-cared-for son in an organization that had nurtured and cared for him for three years. However, his association with the club was severed last week when Sanchez was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, ending his ties with a organization he has grown to respect.

Keeping up local athletes taking part in the big leagues. FREDDY SANCHEZ — The infielder continues to have a stellar season, although his team has struggled. (Burbank High; Glendale Community College) third baseman, Pittsburgh Pirates Coming into Tuesday's game, Sanchez, 28, is leading the National League in hitting with a .349 average. He had a 12-point advantage over Miguel Cabrera of the Florida Marlins, who was hitting. 337. In just his second full Major League Baseball season, Sanchez could win a batting crown if he can hold his lead for another month.

BURBANK— Persistent rumors that swirled around baseball since prior to the All-Star break regarding a likely trade of Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants were finally validated on Wednesday. The three-time All-Star and former National League batting titlist was swapped for Double-A starting pitcher Tim Alderson in a move announced shortly after Sanchez’s new club completed a three-game sweep of his former one with a 1-0 10-inning victory at AT&T Park.

BURBANK — Freddy Sanchez and the Pittsburgh Pirates have come to an impasse in negotiations to extend the three-time All-Star’s contract, with Sanchez rejecting the team’s latest offer over the weekend. Sanchez’s agent Paul Cobbe is yet to produce a counter offer and Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington has said the ball is in Sanchez’s court, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Monday. The deal offered by the Pirates on Friday would have paid Sanchez, a Burbank High graduate, $10 million over the next two seasons, but would have required him to waive the incentive clause in his current contract that would earn him $8.4 million due in 2010 if he makes 600 plate appearances in 2009.

BURBANK ? A second opinion left Freddy Sanchez still feeling pain, but with relief in sight. Sanchez, a two-time All-Star infielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the 2006 National League batting champion, has been bothered by a sore right shoulder since September. The former Burbank High and Glendale Community College standout had an MRI recently done, but sought a second opinion when he traveled to Birmingham, Ala, to meet with Dr. James Andrews on Monday. Andrews, a noted orthopedist, ruled that Sanchez has no structural damage to his right shoulder.

BURBANK — Freddy Sanchez is staying a Pirate. Sanchez, an All-Star second baseman and former Burbank High and Glendale Community College baseball standout, agreed to terms Tuesday on a multi-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The three-year deal is reportedly estimated to be $18.4 million and could keep him with the organization through the 2010 season. According to mlb.com, the contract includes two guaranteed years plus a third-year option. The third year is reported to be a club option with a potential buyout if the organization does not exercise it. However, Sanchez can automatically OK the option to be picked up, if he meets specific criteria during the previous two years.

Sanchez, Pirates still apart on contract With less than three weeks until Spring Training begins, Freddy Sanchez is still without a contract. Sanchez, 30, a former Burbank High and Glendale Community College standout, and the Pittsburgh Pirates still haven’t worked out a deal for next season. There was a noon deadline on Friday for agreements to be made with players eligible for arbitration before athletes and clubs are required to exchange arbitration figures.

It seemed fitting that in the shadow of the Burbank house in which he grew up, Freddy Sanchez was welcomed home Friday. At a young age, the former Burbank High baseball standout spent countless hours at the school's field, perfecting his skills and dreaming of playing Major League Baseball. It was his baseball haven, a sanctuary only steps away from his front door. Those formidable years helped shape the player who won the 2006 National League batting championship as an infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Sanchez to be honored at events Freddy Sanchez, who starred for the Burbank High and Glendale Community College baseball teams, will be honored Friday at two events, sponsored by the Burbank Baseball Booster Club. Sanchez, who won the National League batting title last season as a starting third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, will have his Burbank jersey retired and the city of Burbank will proclaim "Freddy Sanchez Day" at a ceremony at the Burbank High baseball field at 3 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., a banquet event at The Castaway restaurant will honor the National League batting champion.