Thread: Article: The Progress of Miguel Sano

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Thanks for the analysis Parker. Love reading your technical breakdowns. I agree that this is the year to look for Miguel to settle in both at the plate and in the field. I think if we see him start to come under more control at the plate, we are going to have reasons to be even more excited about his potential. In my opinion that same coolness could help him in the field. I don't know if his errors are due to hard hands or a sense of panic/need to rush. But I have to believe that as things slow down for him he can make all/most of the plays and throws he needs to.

Thanks Parker. As usual, this is great. Now you should come to GF for a year and watch me play beer league softball. I want to hit moooorree dingers.

Questions on the errors...
1. Is it fielding? Throwing? Assuming both...
2. Obviously he was vastly improved 2nd half or last season to 1st half when just looking at the numbers. Was it throwing or fielding that improved? Or hopefully both?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by 3rd Inning Stretch

Questions on the errors...
1. Is it fielding? Throwing? Assuming both...
2. Obviously he was vastly improved 2nd half or last season to 1st half when just looking at the numbers. Was it throwing or fielding that improved? Or hopefully both?

Thanks!

I've read a lot of stuff saying that his fielding improved across the board as the season went on (which isn't necessarily saying much), but, many also seem to credit some of that to the arrival of Kennys Vargas at 1B helping cut down the errors on throws. A lot of the errors do seem to come when he tries to do too much - He believes in that arm and will let it fly even if there's no chance he'll get the runner. This can lead to a lot of throws sailing.

Fine work, Parker. I look forward to more breakdowns of Sano, and other minor leaguers. May I suggest a breakdown of Rosario's shift from outfield to second, and how he's progressing? The Dominican team will be playing him in the outfield for the WBC, I believe. Thanks for making us all better students of the game.

Thanks for the analysis Parker. I'll be interested to see how he progresses this year at Fort Myers.

Reading this, it just strikes me that what we saw in Beloit out of Sano is the bottom range of his capabilities, and that if we see a repeat of those numbers this season, that is pretty much what we can expect Sano to do when he reaches the majors: 25+ homers/yr with 80-100 RBIs. But what if ... what if he does what Arcia did last year, and everything starts coming together for him at the plate this year. We're talking 30+ homers/100 RBIs/yr being his typical season, while carrying a .280+ batting avg. If he hits over .300 consistently, then we're talking Cabrera territory.

I hope Sano develops into more of an all around hitter. Power is what you get paid for and it is the wow factor, but a good hitter who hits home runs is better. Cabrera is a nice comp but not many hitters combine his ability to hit for average with power to that degree. It is probably a bit unfair to expect that out of Sano but I do hope he can learn to make more contact/improve his line drive rate, and cut down on his strikeouts.

At this point I am not to worried about his eventual big league position. If his hit tool is good enough, you will find a place for him to play. Sometimes that can be influenced by what others do or the direction of the front office. If Plouffe becomes a good defensive 3B with consistent power, well RF or 1B could be a better fit for Sano. Certainly what the Twins decide to do with Morneau could be a factor, as well how Parmelee does in RF or if he goes to 1B or if he is the one traded. Since Sano needs time to develop his hitting, I suspect the right thing to do to find out if he can be adequate at 3B.

Originally Posted by 3rd Inning Stretch

Questions on the errors...
1. Is it fielding? Throwing? Assuming both...
2. Obviously he was vastly improved 2nd half or last season to 1st half when just looking at the numbers. Was it throwing or fielding that improved? Or hopefully both?

Thanks!

Sano improved greatly in Beloit when Kennys Vargas got there and was his 1st baseman. Vargas is a mountain of a man and a huge target. I love Sano. I was his "baseball mom" while he was in Elizabethton. His errors were horrendous here. Once while throwing to 1st base, he hit my husband in the stands. That was a "no bueno" moment.

Originally Posted by Don't Feed the Greed Guy

Fine work, Parker. I look forward to more breakdowns of Sano, and other minor leaguers. May I suggest a breakdown of Rosario's shift from outfield to second, and how he's progressing? The Dominican team will be playing him in the outfield for the WBC, I believe. Thanks for making us all better students of the game.

Don't look for eddie on the Dominican team - he plays for Puerto rico

Oops. Thanks for the correction, Madre. I'd still like to know why he's playing in the outfield, though.