Article: Miguel Sano: Can A Staggeringly Huge Monster-Man Cut It In The Outfield?

[Halsey Hall]

Never say never. Sano should be playing 3rd and I say he will be some time this season. So far watching him in the outfield is a comedy.

[mnfireman]

All you posters worrying about running injuries make me laugh. NFL linebackers are roughly 260 pounds and run more, cut more, change speed and direction more, and move in other ways that a major league outfielder never will and aren't getting hurt every time they do so. As long as the trainers have him on a stretching program, I am not too worried about a running injury, but it might still happen. His arm strength should be above average, he played both SS and 3B after all, and this spring should get him acclimated to judging fly ball distances. Routes to the ball, backing up throws to 1B from P, C, SS, and 3B, returning the ball quickly to the infield, and throwing to the proper base/cut-off should be bigger concerns. And of these, routes to the ball should and will be the biggest problem; it takes years, not weeks, to learn this skill. Oh yeah, and that RF overhang in Target Field!

[MikeBates]

 

I would rather see a platoon of Joe and Sano... 

 

Trade...  Park

 

and let em play... 

 

First of all, if you trade Park, you don't have to platoon Joe and Sano. Second, we have no idea how good Park is yet. Third, platooning Sano is, objectively and beyond all doubt, the dumbest idea I've ever heard.

[Bill Parker]

 

Never say never. Sano should be playing 3rd and I say he will be some time this season. So far watching him in the outfield is a comedy.

Who said never?

[DJL44]

I think the Twins know Sano is going to be a bad outfielder. I think they also thought he would be a lousy third baseman too. Being a bad RF will always cost fewer runs than being a bad 3B.

[USAFChief]

 

Who said never?

My guess would be if he moves off third for the entire season, that will end his third base career.

[Halsey Hall]

 

Who said never?

Nobody, miss read the post where Molly said not this year. 

[Hrbowski]

Miggy and Pujols both started at third, than moved to the outfield, but both ended up at first later in their careers.

[Vanimal46]

 

Miggy and Pujols both started at third, than moved to the outfield, but both ended up at first later in their careers.

Both Miggy and Pujols weren't even close to Sano's weight in their 3B or OF days... Heck, Pujols isn't as big as Sano even today.... 

The pictures don't lie.... Here's Pujols his rookie year 

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/G_s81JXi7Vk9z._3RH9SmQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTI0MA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/YahooSports/1307346769.jpg

And Miguel Cabrera during his 3B and OF days

http://img.fanbase.com/media.fanbase.com/8/38072/c69820af4cdf3e66e4f5018314c3edede990b71a.jpg?x=300&y=450&sig=47d2537b92d3d171ecca28f1c0d06561

[Jgcarew]

He's got to be better than delmon Arica the hammer the killer or bombo Rivera.

And we watched Kirby's lower body grow into triple x. He did okay. I like the Dave Parker comparison. Another pirate Willie Stargell was 34 before they made him a first baseman .. looks like Sano stays in RF unless we need DH or until plouffe starts killing it , so we can get something in return by trading him

[jimmer]

You're right, sorry, I looked at the wrong line on Fangraphs. They had him almost exactly average.

 

 

 

Perhaps you were looking at DRS?

Edited February 29, 2016 by jimmer

[djvang]

I have a feeling he'll be back at DH before the end of May. I don't think the Korean guy will be able to hit major league pitching. Look for Kepler to be in RF.

[Bill Parker]

 

Perhaps you were looking at DRS?

No. Well, I looked at DRS too, but what happened was I forgot that Fangraphs combines UZR and their positional adjustment into the dashboard "Defense" number now. Kinda hate that (but I get it).

[Thrylos]

6'4",  260lb.  Just a tad undersized for an elite Tight End.  And I suspect that there are a lot of tight ends who can be great outfielders.   Or just about right for a quarterback (IIRC Daunte Culpepper was just the same size in his prime.)  He'd make a pretty good outfielder.   Or a pass rushing defensive end, Jared Allen was about that size, just a bit taller.  Speaking about JJ Watt is 290 lbs.  Wanna bet that he could be an awful outfielder, if he chose baseball?

 

Let the kid play, see him play and then talk.  Funny enough, people wanted to crucify Plouffe because he was horrible at third in his first season.  Now they clamoring about his defense.  BTW, sub "Koskie" for "Plouffe" out there, and the same  stands.   Will Sano be a gold glove outfielder in 2016?  I don't know, but it is not likely.  Could he be in 2018? Of course.  If he wants to be.

There is 260 lbs and there is 260 lbs.

 

 

[jimmer]

 

No. Well, I looked at DRS too, but what happened was I forgot that Fangraphs combines UZR and their positional adjustment into the dashboard "Defense" number now. Kinda hate that (but I get it).

I prefer DRS, myself, but to each their own.

[Rezzy]

If Sano is fine with moving to RF, so am I. I hope he is the type of guy that feeds off naysayers. If he is, I'll join the fun... Hey Sano, There is no way you can hit 30 bombs, drive in 100 runs, and lead this team to 90 wins while playing acceptable RF defense.

[Madre Dos]

When Miguel was in Elizabethton in 2011, he was listed at 6'3" and 232#.   The only thing he could say in English the 1st night was, "Will I get enough to eat here?"   Not a problem!    I had a houseful that year, which also included Eddie and Kennys.    I would take 2 buggies through the grocery store every week.   

[TheLeviathan]

 

Maybe one ray of hope is the fact that Carlos Lee did not pick up an outfield glove until he broke into the majors either.

 

That is not even remotely a ray of hope.

[Eephus]

Seems to me sure-handedness, average mobility and a good arm describes hundreds of adequate defensive outfielders. Weight...unless or until it hinders mobility doesn't mean much. I liked the article.

[Eephus]

sorry, double post and don't know how to delete one.

[Dr. Evil]

First of all, if you trade Park, you don't have to platoon Joe and Sano. Second, we have no idea how good Park is yet. Third, platooning Sano is, objectively and beyond all doubt, the dumbest idea I've ever heard.

I believe what homer hankey meant is that Sano and Mauer rotate between 1b and dh with both in the lineup together. As for trading Park, anyone is tradeable for the right price.

[Willihammer]

 

That is not even remotely a ray of hope.

I'm trying to have an optimistic take here.

Lee was merely bad in the outfield for a few years.

I'd take that from Sano, as opposed to "disastrous" which is probably the only other possibility.

[Bill Parker]

Carlos Lee was actually pretty good out there for the first half of his career. Which is a "ray of hope" in terms of the ability to quickly learn the position, though on the other hand his numbers start to fall off right around the time he probably gets close to Sano's size...

[Minfidel]

Don't overlook Greg Luzinski (as if you could). He was over 6' and 250+, playing left field. Managed to do it for 10 years in Philly. More than 300 career home runs and 1100+ RBi.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Carlos Lee was actually pretty good out there for the first half of his career. Which is a "ray of hope" in terms of the ability to quickly learn the position, though on the other hand his numbers start to fall off right around the time he probably gets close to Sano's size...

 

Out of curiosity, by what measure do you think he was pretty good?  I can't find much of any that would even put him in the "meh" camp.

 

We'll have to see what kind of range he can produce.  I'm not so much worried about his running ability or anything like that, but so much of playing the outfield is reading the bat off the ball, judging depth, etc.  And that's something you learn to do rather than just use athleticism to fix.

[ThejacKmp]

 

Anyway, it's entertaining to talk about and it may yet turn out to be a train wreck. (speaking of train wrecks, the thought of a Buxton/Sano collision should keep Molitor and Ryan up at night)

 

I've heard this before and it's inane. Buxton and Sano could also collide if he played 3B in a shift and went out for a popup. Unless you want to move Sano to catcher, you can't avoid this. It would be ludicrous to make decisions based on worst-case scenarios.

[ThejacKmp]

 

Even if Sano is not good, it's not going to hurt, he's replacing another poor defender, it's not like the team is significantly downgrading the defense from something that was elite last year.

 

And the alternative to begin the season seems to be Oswaldo Arcia, who is not exactly a defensive dynamo.

 

The real test comes when Kepler is ready because he would be a marked improvement over Sano and Arcia. But by that point, we'll know how Park is going to fare and if Mauer is finally rebounding etc. If Kepler makes a run at the majors, the Twins may find Plouffe more expendable at the break (and they may be able to get more for him from a team that needs a 3B in the middle of the season). 

[ThejacKmp]

 

 I know Molly said he won't play third this year, I've always assumed this is just a temporary move until third opens up one way or another.

 

And I think this has even been taken out of context. Molly likely means that he won't be moving Sano around, that he'll play in the OF even when Plouffe gets the day off. That's probably smart when transitioning someone to a new position. But if Plouffe were traded or hit the DL for more than a few weeks, I guarantee you Sano would become your regular 3B.

[Bill Parker]

Out of curiosity, by what measure do you think he was pretty good?  I can't find much of any that would even put him in the "meh" camp.

 

 

By Baseball-Reference's fielding runs or by DRS/UZR when available, Lee was generally above average up through age 29 or so and generally below average at 30 and later. There are blips on either side, but that tended to be the case, anyway.

[TheLeviathan]

 

By Baseball-Reference's fielding runs or by DRS/UZR when available, Lee was generally above average up through age 29 or so and generally below average at 30 and later. There are blips on either side, but that tended to be the case, anyway.

 

A lot of the other measures on fangraphs show him to be considerably below average.  And, to the best of my recollection, that matched the ol' eye test.