Reusse: Sano has some growing up to do

[Squirrel]

MODERATOR NOTE: Stay on topic, please.

[ken]

 

 

How in any way is that a reasonable conclusion to draw? Until there is actual evidence of this perceived lack of seriousness, like you know, struggling on the field, I will continue to file this away as trash like most of what Reusse writes. 

Is that like drawing the conclusion made by many people here that it's a bad idea to put Sano in the outfield?  We don't know it until we see what happens.

 

I think we have a lot of double standards going on here.  Reusse is a sport columnist, so I think some speculations is part of his job requirement.  Both might be reasonable, but it's funny how the local sports columnist are hated for doing their job.  I guess everyone is a better GM and columnist than our actual ones.

[TheLeviathan]

Gleeman has an excellent take on this nonsense in this week's podcast. It starts around the 37-38 minute mark.

 

http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/gleeman-the-geek-ep-241-al-central-overunder-r4552

Yup, Gleeman pretty much nailed a huge problem in baseball that this is symptomatic of.

[alarp33]

 

Is that like drawing the conclusion made by many people here that it's a bad idea to put Sano in the outfield?  We don't know it until we see what happens.

 

 

 

You don't see the difference between discussing an actual on field component of the game (which we have seen in Spring Training, btw) and discussing whether he wants to be great because he attended an autograph signing and went home to the Dominican for 2 weeks?

[Trov]

I hope he ends up like the guy he is mimicking, that being Miguel Cabrerra.  Cabrerra came up one year younger, but other than that very similar.  His bat got him to the show, and no clue what to do with his glove, Cabrerra was smaller than Sano, by about 20-30 pounds, maybe even more, but Cabrerra was both 3b and OF then 3b and 1b and bounced around between 3b and 1b.  I expect next year, barring anything major, Sano will be back at 3b, until Joe is gone then move to 1b. 

[Shane Wahl]

 

Yup, Gleeman pretty much nailed a huge problem in baseball that this is symptomatic of.

 

Oh, wow. I just listened to it. That is very spot on.

[DaveW]

 

Oh, wow. I just listened to it. That is very spot on.

Yup! None of this is new or surprising though.

 

The Twins have had a very poor track record of these types of "reports" in re: to their very talented Latin players.

 

First was David Ortiz "He won't hit the ball the other way!!!"

Then there was Gomez: "He won't listen! He is too flashy!"

Then there was Liriano "He wants to throw his slider!!!"

Now there is Sano: "He changed agencies!"

 

They successfully ran the first three out of town, let's hope it isn't the case here. Maybe the Twins need to take a quick and easy look in the mirror and think "Hey, maybe it's not the Dominican players faults, maybe we need to be a tad more open minded to other cultures"

 

Of course the Twins aren't the only ones behind the times, just look at all the Joey Bautista "hot takes" last year.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Of course the Twins aren't the only ones behind the times, just look at all the Joey Bautista "hot takes" last year.

Yeah, I think this problem extends well beyond the borders of Minnesota.

[DaveW]

 

Yeah, I think this problem extends well beyond the borders of Minnesota.

That still isn't a valid excuse though, it certainly exists elsewhere, but certainly not "every where"

[savvyspy]

 

I think you are missing the point, he doesn't have to be 270.

 

He knew at the end of last year he was going to the outfield and the front office asked him to lose weight. But he showed up at camp weighing more than last spring training.

 

According to my doctor, when I gain weight, it has mostly to do with what I eat and how I exercise then blaming someone else.  Even though it's clearly my wife's fault.

Actually not missing any point.

 

On what planet does a team move their best hitter to a position he's never played and ask him to just drop 20 lbs? Honestly the list of players that have played outfield at 250 lbs isn't all that long either and do you really want your best power hitter to lose 20 lbs to conform to this massively ridiculous move? What you are saying is you are willing to risk a drop off in power so Sano MIGHT be the 35th best outfielder in the AL instead of the 40th??

 

This isn't a question of Sano's ability to lose weight. The question is why on earth would anyone ask him to lose weight to play a position he's never played??

 

This isn't wrestling.This is 100% Terry Ryan's inability to manage a roster. He couldn't do prior to Sano's arrival and this fiasco shows he isn't getting any better this season.

[DaveW]

Reusse basically boxes himself in two back to back tweets:

 

Patrick Reusse ‏@1500ESPN_Reusse Mar 28 Florida, USA

To dipwads it may concern: There was no encouragement from Twins on Sano column. His bulk is topic they would prefer not to discuss.

 

 

Patrick Reusse ‏@1500ESPN_Reusse Mar 28 Florida, USA

Admittedly, it's not always the case, but this column was intended to inform, not agitate. @adverb1958

 

 

Yeah, I'm calling bull**** on that one "big guy" Pat.

[stringer bell]

One thing to expect and remember about guys like Sano. It becomes "his people" who make decisions and promises. Perhaps that will be escalated by his representation. If the understanding was that Sano would be back in a couple of days and didn't return until the reporting deadline, my bet is that one of "his people" made those assurances.

 

We don't know about his sick abuela and we may never know.

[DaveW]

Oh and as far as some thoughts on Sano's work ethic and dedication towards baseball, here are a few quotes from a recent story about Sano dealing with absolute tragedy last season, everything his teammates say show the type of MAN Sano is, and the sort of player/man/person he is. Frankly the Twins, Baseball and Sports in general could use a lot more of high character guys like Sano, we should be celebrating him and his commitment. Not bashing him for visiting a sick grandparent during his off-season, jabs about his weight, and baseless accusations that he is broke because he isn't smart enough to manage his money. I for one am ashamed and disgusted that my favorite team has writers that focus on garbage that not even Gawker would touch.

 

Twins’ Miguel Sano discusses the loss of infant daughter

 

 

“He’s very brave,” said Twins pitcher Ervin Santana, a fellow Dominican. “I don’t think anybody could handle that, the way they handled it in the Dominican and all the stuff that happened. He was shaken.”

 

 

Twins reliever Casey Fien, a father of two young children, was among those who marveled at Sano’s production amid the pain.

“That speaks volumes on how he can compartmentalize and focus on what’s happening on the field,” Fien said. “That’s huge for maturity. The human mind can mess up a lot of things here in baseball. Just the fact he did that, that’s pretty awesome.

A successful position switch from third base to right field is atop Sano’s baseball agenda for 2016, but the 22-year-old slugger revealed an even bigger goal for this season.
He and Daniela, married since last spring, have been together for seven years. They still hope to become parents again.

“She told me last night she wants another baby,” Sano said with a smile. “I’ll try to make another. I take care of my wife. I tell her it’s going to be OK. We’re going to try to have another baby.”

 

 

Sano is a class act all the way and someone to admire, not to take down or criticize for being a good family member.

[ken]

 

The evidence; 

 

I was here for 2½ weeks in early February and was at the ballpark most days to do a radio show. Sano was doing low-key drills with early arrivers for a couple of days, and then he was gone.

The word was he had gone to New York for a weekend for a well-paid autograph gig, and he would be back early the next week. He wound up going back to the Dominican Republic and stayed for two weeks, until camp was ready to open.

 

The conclusion; 

 

"He’s simply the Big Kid, until he begins to take his shot at greatness more seriously."

 

So according to Reusse, Sano does not take his shot at greatness seriously because he went to an autograph signing, and went home for 2 weeks.  

 

How in any way is that a reasonable conclusion to draw? Until there is actual evidence of this perceived lack of seriousness, like you know, struggling on the field, I will continue to file this away as trash like most of what Reusse writes. 

If Sano struggles in the outfield, my bet is many people on this site will blame the front office for moving him to the outfield.  But the blame could also be lack of commitment to learning the position.  We've had hundreds of post about what a bad idea it was moving him to the outfield and it's trash if someone writes that it looks like he didn't fully commit to working the position move.  He didn't reduce his weight and he didn't spend extra time in spring training learning his new position.

 

Reusse isn't trashing Sano, but in comparing him to Killebrew he saying he has HOF talent.  But getting there takes work and he didn't see Sano making that commitment. 

[Reider]

 

LOL

 

Spoiler alert:

This really isn't worth wasting a click on, as it's just typical trash coming from the Reusse and/or Souhan sections of the dying Star Tribune.

 

Instead of potentially criticizing the Twins for creating a situation where you are playing one of the greatest young talents you have ever had out of position, you write up a hit piece with flimsy "comments" and take cheap shots at a guy that could very well hit 500 HR some day (hopefully all for the Twins)

 

I couldn't agree with you more. I have no problem with Sano spending a couple of weeks at home before spring training. It's a very long season and he's only 22.

 

From a baseball point of view, Sano is the type of talent Twins fans have been wanting for a long time. This guy has the potential to be everything David Ortiz is and possibly more.

 

From a personality standpoint. He seems like he has a good personality and is always smiling. Seems like a good clubhouse guy.

 

From a behavioral standpoint, Sano has done nothing wrong here. Writing a "cheap shot" article (credit DaveW) as a means to support strong arm tactics used by the organization as a means to control a player is something I will NOT support. Sano has rights and responsibilities just like everyone else. As far as I know, he has exercised his rights accordingly (e.g. to be wherever he wants to be in the world before spring training and to spend that time with who he wishes aka his family and friends).

 

Sano has no obligation to be in Fort Myers 2 weeks before spring training and he has no obligation to be X pounds on day 1 of spring training unless it states such a weight in his contract. If the Twins want something more out of Sano, put it in his contract and compensate him accordingly.

 

I support Sano here. I think he's a good person with good character, a good player, and I hope he has a long successful HOF career with the Minnesota Twins.

[KGB]

[

 

I support Sano here. I think he's a good person with good character, a good player, and I hope he has a long successful HOF career wota Twins.

 

Agree and I don't think anyone here including Reusse would disagree.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Agree and I don't think anyone here including Reusse would disagree.

 

Maybe not, but then the question is....why does this article exist at all?  Reusse admits the Twins don't want to talk about this at all and shutdown that line of inquiry, yet her bastardized a Molitor quote to suggest otherwise.

 

So what's the point?  Click-bait?  If that's the best we can come up with it's extremely unfair to Sano.

[Old Twins Cap]

Sano = 1B.  That's the truth of it.  A guy that big, albeit agile and athletic, in MLB, plays 1B. 

 

Every.  Single.  Time.

 

That's the norm.  The Twins are moving beyond the norm by virtue of having Mauer, and by winning the contract on Park.

 

OK? 

 

We have a stud 1B, he's only 22, we put him in right, we are hoping for the best.

 

End of the day, any other team, in any other division, plays Sano at 1B and he becomes an All-Star and takes them to places they never dreamed.

 

The Twins hem and haw and hope for the best.

 

Gotta hope it works out.

 

But, the "Twins way" in this case, is just plain stupid.  Period.

[spinowner]

 

Sano = 1B.  That's the truth of it.  A guy that big, albeit agile and athletic, in MLB, plays 1B. 

 

Every.  Single.  Time.

 

That's the norm.  The Twins are moving beyond the norm by virtue of having Mauer, and by winning the contract on Park.

 

OK? 

 

We have a stud 1B, he's only 22, we put him in right, we are hoping for the best.

 

End of the day, any other team, in any other division, plays Sano at 1B and he becomes an All-Star and takes them to places they never dreamed.

 

The Twins hem and haw and hope for the best.

 

Gotta hope it works out.

 

But, the "Twins way" in this case, is just plain stupid.  Period.

So what's your solution? Plouffe, Park or Mauer in RF? Or send Park to AAA? Or put one of them on waivers? It's not a particularly desirable option to have Sano in RF but I think every other option is probably worse.

[DaveW]

So what's your solution? Plouffe, Park or Mauer in RF? Or send Park to AAA? Or put one of them on waivers? It's not a particularly desirable option to have Sano in RF but I think every other option is probably worse.

Park or Plouffe in RF with Sano at DH or 3rd don't sound like "worse" ideas to be honest.

 

It's also worth mentioning that nobody forced the Twins to go out and sign Park either.

 

I think Park can be a solid player and hope he hits 30 bombs a year, but let's not pretend for even one second this wasn't a 100% avoidable situation heading into the off season.

[DaveW]

Sano = 1B. That's the truth of it. A guy that big, albeit agile and athletic, in MLB, plays 1B.

 

Every. Single. Time.

 

That's the norm. The Twins are moving beyond the norm by virtue of having Mauer, and by winning the contract on Park.

 

OK?

 

We have a stud 1B, he's only 22, we put him in right, we are hoping for the best.

 

End of the day, any other team, in any other division, plays Sano at 1B and he becomes an All-Star and takes them to places they never dreamed.

 

The Twins hem and haw and hope for the best.

 

Gotta hope it works out.

 

But, the "Twins way" in this case, is just plain stupid. Period.

I agree with this post, but would add that I think that Sano could also handle 3B for a couple years as well.

[twinsnorth49]

Odd how none of this maturing or commitment talk came up during his TJ rehab, which he came out of with flying colours.

 

 

If Reusse is such a savvy guy and nobody's fool, he needs to do a more credible job than what he's provided in this article. Talk about flimsy.

[KGB]

 

Maybe not, but then the question is....why does this article exist at all?  Reusse admits the Twins don't want to talk about this at all and shutdown that line of inquiry, yet her bastardized a Molitor quote to suggest otherwise.

 

So what's the point?  Click-bait?  If that's the best we can come up with it's extremely unfair to Sano.

Because of the high expectation for Sano and the question on if he can play in the outfield.  Spring training articles are about how a player prepared for the season and his new position.  Every year we get an articles about how Mauer is in the best shape of his career.  It hasn't been translating to production, but we don't ripe the columnist for writting it.

[TheLeviathan]

Because of the high expectation for Sano and the question on if he can play in the outfield.  Spring training articles are about how a player prepared for the season and his new position.  Every year we get an articles about how Mauer is in the best shape of his career.  It hasn't been translating to production, but we don't ripe the columnist for writting it.

I rip them for that nonsense! And it's Sano's fault he is being moved? Hell, his handling of that is a credit to him. He lost 7 pounds and went out to a new position with no complaints and for that he gets a hit piece?

[Blackjack]

If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. That goes for people in a high stress job in the corporate world or a teacher in an inner city school or football/basketball/baseball players, they're in the spotlight, not every article written about them is going to be sugar and cream.

 

Sano will be fine but rest assured he probably won't be having a beer with Reusse any time soon.

[stringer bell]

I guess the point here is if somebody told the Twins he would be back in Fort Myers in a few days and he doesn't show, they should be disappointed and let the player know. I don't know if it happened exactly that way,

 

If an employee says he will do something and then fails to do it, whether it is required or not, someone in management isn't going to be happy with the employee.

[Minniman]

 

Sano = 1B.  That's the truth of it.  A guy that big, albeit agile and athletic, in MLB, plays 1B. 

 

Every.  Single.  Time.

 

 

Dave Winfield's five gold gloves in the outfield beg to differ, but I get your point.

 

That's the norm.  The Twins are moving beyond the norm by virtue of having Mauer, and by winning the contract on Park.

 

 

That is the norm, and I agree. It is both a bad situation and a good one.

 

I do believe Sano must control his weight or be prone to future injuries and sub-peak performance.

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I guess the point here is if somebody told the Twins he would be back in Fort Myers in a few days and he doesn't show, they should be disappointed and let the player know. I don't know if it happened exactly that way,

 

If an employee says he will do something and then fails to do it, whether it is required or not, someone in management isn't going to be happy with the employee.

There is very little evidence to suggest it happened that way.  Reusse's sources appear to be second-hand, at best, and even he has since stated on Twitter that the column was written with "no encouragement" from the Twins.  Which probably wouldn't be the case if Sano was actually lying or breaking promises to the team.

 

And the whole thing happened nearly two months ago.  Why is Reusse only bringing it up now?  Maybe because when it actually happened, it was nothing like his characterization, and he only now needs it to support an attention-grabbing column near opening day?

 

I know Reusse has asserted on his radio show that Sano is broke because his family and friends have mooched off of him, but it appears he has left that accusation out of newsprint so far.  Given the timing and "evidence" he presented here, he probably should have done the same with this accusation, before he inspired various TD posters to label Sano as a serial breaker of promises.

[HitInAPinch]

Reusse did a little back-peddling / clarification today. 

 

http://www.startribune.com/five-follow-ups-on-the-sano-issue/373844931/

 

 

[TRex]

 

There is very little evidence to suggest it happened that way.  Reusse's sources appear to be second-hand, at best, and even he has since stated on Twitter that the column was written with "no encouragement" from the Twins.  Which probably wouldn't be the case if Sano was actually lying or breaking promises to the team.

In what world would you expect Reusse to claim/admit that he wrote the article 'with encouragement from the Twins'?

 

Also, if the presentation of the 'flimsy' facts was incorrect, wouldn't you expect that the Twins or Sano himself might object? If that objection has been made, I have missed it.

 

Again, I do not think this article was about fitness, or lack thereof. It was about Sano's commitment to greatness... is he going to be Kirby Puckett or Kent Hrbek? They were both great ball players, good team mates, and great for the organization. Only one had the corner locker and drove the bus to two WS victories (figuratively, anyway).