Pedro: Sanchez probably has 'best pure stuff' in MLB

Aaron Sanchez and his "electric" arm received high praise Sunday ahead of the most important start of his young career.

Shortly before Sanchez took the mound for the Blue Jays in Game 3 of their American League Division Series against the Rangers, Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez lauded the right-hander's wealth of offerings - an arsenal that includes one of the top-five sinkers by spin rate in all of baseball, according to FanGraph's August Fagerstrom.

Once the subject of an intense workload debate, Sanchez is nearing the 200-inning threshold as he makes his first career playoff start. The 24-year-old, who led the AL with a 3.00 ERA and earned his first All-Star selection this season, can attribute much of his success to an impressive mix of pitches that's anchored by a high 90s fastball with lots of movement.

"He's a power pitcher and we know he's going to try and establish himself and his pitch early," Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "Don't let him get comfortable. When you face guys like him, the last thing you want is them to feel comfortable on the mound."

Sanchez will try and pitch the Blue Jays to a series sweep Sunday in his first start since the final day of the regular season, when he flirted with a no-hitter at Fenway Park en route to a home-field clinching win for the AL wild-card game.

In his only start against the Rangers this season, Sanchez allowed six earned runs on seven hits during the infamous May 15 brawl game.