Taken in the 18th round of the 2022 draft out of a Florida junior college, Sanabria could be the Friars' starting first baseman in the near future. He has steadily worked his way through the organization since being drafted, spending all of 2025 at Double-A San Antonio.

While he hasn't flashed the power typically associated with the position, Sanabria put together a 2025 slash line of .257/.309/.376 with a career-high 12 homers to go along with 56 RBIs in 119 games. That line was down from his 2024, where he had a .288/.396/.427 showing with 11 homers and 78 RBIs at three stops: Low A Lake Elsinore, High A Fort Wayne and San Antonio. Still, his 30 doubles and on-base percentage were the best in the organization. That earned him a shot in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a .276/.364/.345 line in 15 games, though that came with no homers and four RBIs. He was also named the Padres' Hitting Prospect of the Year by MLB Pipeline.

With a .283 batting average across four seasons and just 31 homers, Sanabria is more contact-focused despite his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame. Maybe more power comes with experience, but the batting average would certainly help to offset that — the Padres have experience with such an archetype at the cold corner, having just employed Luis Arraez. Sanabria needs to improve his walk rate (just 7.6% in 2025) and reduce his strikeout rate (21.4%), which would make him an even better hitter.

While the Padres have a lot of coverage at first base in 2026, Sanabria has already made a splash in his second trip to the team's major-league spring camp. In his first five games, he went 4-for-7 with two doubles and a homer, while driving in six. He has a ticket to El Paso waiting for him, a needed stop in his development. But an MLB debut could come this year with a chance to win the starting job in 2027.