Sano optioned to Single A

[jun]

I think Sano should be thankful, he had been horrible throughout the season and yet he was able to collect enough major league service time for contractual reason. Most of the players would not be so lucky.

[Riverbrian]

 

Honest question: How is facing high A pitchers going to help improve his ability to hit major league breaking balls? Wouldn't he be better served getting his practice in at triple A (or double A) where the pitchers have much better stuff? The worst pitchers in MLB are going to have way better stuff than 99.99999% of the high A pitchers.

 

I don't think the time facing High A pitchers will be important. I assume that they will be tearing him down and then building him back up.

 

He'll be facing those High A pitchers while trying new approaches. 

[howeda7]

 

Cave down, Grossman still on the roster.....

The Sano news is crazy. I'm hoping they can find a good veteran to take his place, someone with leadership and mentoring skills to help all the young players.....

It was time on Sano. It's also time on Grossman. Honestly, what is the argument for keeping him around? The season is circling the drain and honestly how much worse can Gordon, Wade or Carter do? Just continuing to grind with the same line-up when Dozier, Kepler and Grossman who have no shot is madness. 

[jimbo92107]

After mulling it over for a while I think I see why they sent Sano to single A. Lately, Sano's at bats seem so feeble that he has lost the mentality of dominating a pitcher. By sending Sano down to Ft Myers, Sano should be able quickly to regain the mentality of dominating a pitcher. That supreme confidence comes from pounding the snot out of whatever a pitcher throws, a level of confidence that Sano today has lost. 

 

If Sano regains his supreme confidence by hitting barrages of missiles in Florida, then it could be a very short stint in A, then AA, then AAA, then right back to the majors within a month. The Twins want Sano to regain his mentality of bully dominance over pitchers. Let him beat up on A ball guys for a couple weeks, and we'll see what happens. This game is so mental, it's crazy.

[Platoon]

I sort of doubt Sano will be out of Florida for quite awhile, and maybe not until Sept if then, if the Twins stay out of contention. This is a career move, not a slap on the wrist. They have discreetly mentioned conditioning as a goal. That won't be done in a month or two.

[Doubles]

Honest question: How is facing high A pitchers going to help improve his ability to hit major league breaking balls? Wouldn't he be better served getting his practice in at triple A (or double A) where the pitchers have much better stuff? The worst pitchers in MLB are going to have way better stuff than 99.99999% of the high A pitchers.

I think this move goes far beyond Sano's ability to hit a breaking ball. This is a move to get him away from the bright lights, big cities, third-deck stadiums, & all the pressure that comes with them. This is about sending him back to square one. We've all seen the quotes about how Sano has to be 'More of a professional,' 'Needs to figure it out,' etc. This move is about those things, as much, if not more, than it is about hitting breaking balls.

 

And, weight for it... this is about trying to get Sano to realize he is way overweight and needs to make lifestyle changes if he wants to get the most out of his professional career. Hopefully it's not too late & hopefully Sano is willing to put in the work & make the necessary lifestyle changes. Until those things happen, this is just a huge waist of God-given talent.

[jorgenswest]

I don't think the time facing High A pitchers will be important. I assume that they will be tearing him down and then building him back up.

 

He'll be facing those High A pitchers while trying new approaches.

 

Yes. If he is torn down and rebuilding his start in A ball may not look very good. We should ignore any numbers we see early.

[Brock Beauchamp]

If someone is sent directly to Ft Myers, that likely means they need access to the training facilities. Otherwise, there’s no reason to send a guy like Sano to that level. He would destroy Florida League pitching at 60% strength.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Are the dietitians and physical trainers we have working with our high A affiliate better than the ones we have at Triple A?

Absolutely, yes, they are.

 

Ft Myers is the second home of the Minnesota Twins. It's where they have their primary training and medical facilities.

[Thrylos]

 

I feel like I'm going to be eating crow about being adamant last offseason that trading Sano would've been a horrible move. Now I wonder if his value will ever be higher than it was.

 

That is true for every Twins' position player not named Eddie.

[MangLitch]

I know it is early, but this organization is the poster child for performing opposite of expectations. Think of the last 5 years and what we thought going in. Then they performed the exact opposite. It is quite comical. Here is to hoping that next year we are way down on this club. 

 

On another note, what is this really signaling. I haven't seen many guys (yes I know, Halladay) get shipped out in the middle of the season to "Break Down" mechanics to this extent and come back real strong. Is this a make or break situation for Sano? Just feels like this is the point where the kid fizzles out and disappears. 

 

It sounds super negative and jumping the gun, but what prominent major league hitter has let their craft get to a point where a team says we have to start over with this guy. I get it, the injury and lack of offseason and blah blah blah.... but this isn't a rare thing for guys to go through in regards to severity of injury and plenty of hitters have kept themselves in the kind of condition to acclimate back into the MLB.

 

I just think this is a really bad signal for this kid. I hope he makes it through and gets back on track, but I am starting to believe the odds are really stacked against him. 

 

Maybe I am jumping the gun. 

[Twodogs]

Didn't Sano work with Fernando Tatis or something like that a couple of years ago??  I wonder whatever happened to that working relationship?

[nicksaviking]

 

Didn't Sano work with Fernando Tatis or something like that a couple of years ago??  I wonder whatever happened to that working relationship?

 

He's managing for the Red Sox DSL team.

 

If he was a good influence on Sano, too bad he's not managing the Red Sox FSL team; he'd be in Ft. Myers then too.

[Twodogs]

It doesnt matter the physical tools that any person has, if they don't have it mentally they probably won't make it.

[youngtwinsfan]

I like the move. As many have mentioned, they are probably going to try and completely breakdown and fix his swing. Going through all of that and feeling the initial discomfort while at AAA (facing better pitching) he could go through the same struggles he is now and just resort back to his old ways. I'm hoping that they send him down there,until they feel he has checked all of their boxes, and then send him to AAA to make sure he sticks with their corrections before bringing him back up. 

[laloesch]

 

Total system failure part II?

 

AAA or AA would have been nice so he could at least see some MLB - esque pitching...

 

Just my opinion but i see this more as total Sano failure.  He has the tools, he has the talent and the knowledge.  The rest is up to him.  Same goes for Buxton.

[laloesch]

 

If it is about conditioning it will take time.

 

He could easily loose 30-40 lbs. and that will take quite a bit of time even if he's good and follows a strict diet.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Absolutely, yes, they are.

 

Ft Myers is the second home of the Minnesota Twins. It's where they have their primary training and medical facilities.

it’s also home of Extended Spring Training and where most of the deeper rehab assignments start.

[KirbyDome89]

 

Just my opinion but i see this more as total Sano failure.  He has the tools, he has the talent and the knowledge.  The rest is up to him.  Same goes for Buxton.

Agreed, the system failure comment was more of a joke. 

 

Ultimately the bulk of the responsibility lies with Sano and Buxton, but I don't think the Twins are entirely without blame. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

We've all seen the quotes about how Sano has to be 'More of a professional,'

How much more of a professional can he be than ~300 pounds?