PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — Pirates catching prospect Tony Sanchez hit the weight room hard this off-season adding 15 pounds of muscle.

The former first-round draft pick (fourth overall) in 2009 realizes that 2013 is, “extremely crucial,” as he put it, to have a break through year to maintain his status within the Pittsburgh organization.

A mid-season promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis in 2012, Sanchez said he gained a ton of experience when catching pitchers that he hadn’t ever worked with before, but had complete trust in his abilities.

“That was extremely helpful in my confidence,” Sanchez said.

In a conversation with Pirates pre-game and post-game host Dan Zangrilli, Sanchez also gave a candid self-appraisal of where he’s currently at in his career.  He admits that it’s not exactly where he envisioned, which is why he worked harder this past off-season than he had in any other.

Follow Dan Zangrilli on Twitter: @DanZangrilli