Have we seen the last of Sanó at third base?

[stringer bell]

The signing of Josh Donaldson probably accelerates Miguel Sanó's transition into becoming a first baseman/dh. Duh. My question is whether the newly extended Sanó will ever play third again except in an emergency. On the prospective 26-man roster, the Twins will have three other players available to spell Donaldson or act as an injury replacement. They are Marwin Gonzalez, Ehire Adrianza and Willians Astudillo.

 

I'm quite certain Donaldson will get some days off and it is likely that he'll experience some injuries in the course of a six month season. I wonder if the manager will use those guys and not his regular from 2019 when Donaldson isn't manning the hot corner. 

 

There is something to be said for having versatility amongst the position players. However, since Sanó has played only a relative handful of games at first, it might be best to have him stay at first and get more accustomed to that position. Adrianza and Gonzalez both grade out as better defenders than Sanó, so I guess we may not see the big man at third any more. 

[jkcarew]

 

There is something to be said for having versatility amongst the position players. However, since Sanó has played only a relative handful of games at first, it might be best to have him stay at first and get more accustomed to that position. Adrianza and Gonzalez both grade out as better defenders than Sanó, so I guess we may not see the big man at third any more. 

Agreed. I would hope that Sano would not be the 'regular' (short-term injuries, rest, etc.) backup at 3rd. Let him focus on developing/refining first-base skills.

 

Now, if Donaldson has long-term issues, I guess I'd be willing to consider moving Sano back...especially if the organization has a much better offensive alternative at first in such a scenario (Kirilloff? Larnach?) than they do at third (Adrianza? Blankenhorn?). Let's hope we don't find out the answer to this, at least in 2020.

[High heat]

We saw Gonzalez for an extended amount of time at 3B and he was solid there.  If Donaldson goes down Marwin is the guy, maybe even Blankenhorn.  Please let Sano just focus on learning 1B I think he will develop into a solid 1B defensively.  

[Ncgo4]

A key issue here is just how much work did Sano do this off season? If last year he went from 300+ down to about 275, what if this year he shows up at 250 or 260? If so, his movement in the field could be significantly different. Is it possible that Sano has gone from being a good time fun person to someone totally dedicated to maximize his baseball career? I don’t know the answer, but if it’s yes, we may have something special in the house.

[Dman]

 

The signing of Josh Donaldson probably accelerates Miguel Sanó's transition into becoming a first baseman/dh. Duh. My question is whether the newly extended Sanó will ever play third again except in an emergency. On the prospective 26-man roster, the Twins will have three other players available to spell Donaldson or act as an injury replacement. They are Marwin Gonzalez, Ehire Adrianza and Willians Astudillo.

 

I'm quite certain Donaldson will get some days off and it is likely that he'll experience some injuries in the course of a six month season. I wonder if the manager will use those guys and not his regular from 2019 when Donaldson isn't manning the hot corner. 

 

There is something to be said for having versatility amongst the position players. However, since Sanó has played only a relative handful of games at first, it might be best to have him stay at first and get more accustomed to that position. Adrianza and Gonzalez both grade out as better defenders than Sanó, so I guess we may not see the big man at third any more. 

 

I think you are probably right but I wouldn't be surprised if Sano played third on occasion.  I do, however, think keeping him at first as much as possible makes the most sense.  For one he isn't a great defender at third and two I feel like there is greater potential to get injured there as well.  I think getting him to first came just in time and I hope he likes it there and plays really well.

[Riverbrian]

I am the biggest advocate of multi-positional value and the flexibility that comes with it and I would love to have Sano play both 3B and 1B. I hate it when players get moved to another position and just throw away the position they previously played. I see it as a tremendous waste. 

 

However... Because of Donaldson's defensive skill at 3B and his talented bat. 3B belongs to Josh and when Josh is in the lineup... this is where he should play. 

 

1B is only other position that makes sense for Sano... We shouldn't be playing him in the OF or middle infield and we have Cruz at DH plus multiple players who can play 3B when Donaldson is out. 

 

In the context of the Twins... Sano should play 1B exclusively. Unless he becomes a liability and it that happens, then the team will have to adjust. 

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

Well, you never know what happens when Donaldson hits the DL for a stretch.

 

I would expect Sano to play some 3B and in the event of an injury switch back there full time if needed... especially if someone like AK or Rooker is tearing the cover off the ball and worthy of a call up. 

[DocBauer]

I think he's full time 1B now and should concentrate on it as much as possible. But he is still young and I hate to see him just ignore 3B. Whether it's drills or just the occasional day there to stay sharp and give Donaldson a day off, I'd like to see able to play the position for eveantualities that could arise.

 

It would be different, IMO, were he 33 and slowing down, etc.

[twins_89]

I think 3B will still be an option for Sano this season if Donaldson misses any significant time, but if Donaldson stays relatively healthy for a year I think Sano is done at third.