Miguel Sano Taking Step Into Stardom

There were many astonishing aspects of Sano's rookie campaign in 2015, which included a .916 OPS and 18 homers in just 80 games. Of course, those numbers were stellar, but there were deeper indicators of an elite offensive player in the making.

Specifically, I'm talking about his uncommonly advanced approach at the plate.

As an MLB newbie, Sano worked the count full in a higher fraction of his plate appearances than Joey Votto or Mike Trout. And once he got there he capitalized, posting a 1.281 OPS against 3-2 offerings. That's the sign of a dominating hitter, evidenced by the fact that Votto and Trout were the qualified leaders in their respective leagues.

In the same season where Byron Buxton was reminding us how difficult and demoralizing the task of facing MLB pitching can be, even for the most gifted of players, Sano was making it look easy. He had the designs of a 40-homer slugger and premier run producer. Maybe, I thought, as soon as his first full season.

It wasn't meant to be. A number of different factors contributed to a trying sophomore campaign. I don't know how to individually weigh the various things that played him against him – starting the year in the outfield, dealing with adjustments from opposing pitchers, battling injuries, maybe not putting in the necessary work – but it all likely played a part. The result was a disappointing (though hardly terrible) season in which Sano nearly set an all-time record for strikeout rate.

Perturbingly, his line on full counts dropped from .240/.581/.700 to .123/.373/.288.

The first month of 2017 represented a resounding return to form for Sano. In 23 games, he batted .316/.443/.684 with seven homers and 25 RBI. His strikeout rate is down a tad (all he needs, really) while his walk rate is higher than Bryce Harper's or Paul Goldschmidt's. Sano is once again controlling the zone at a remarkable level. And when he's hitting the ball, he is hitting it HARD.

According to MLB's StatCast data, Sano leads all of baseball in average exit velocity, and is the only player in triple digits. He is smashing everything, and that was evident enough on Friday night. In a game where Royals starter Ian Kennedy was stingy with the hits, Miggy delivered a big one in the fourth, putting a beautiful swing on an outside fastball and sending it over the fence in right.

Later, he came through a with a game-breaking drive in the eighth with the bases loaded, facing another hot pitcher (Joakim Soria hadn't allowed an extra-base hit all year) and taking him off the top of the wall in left. Sano narrowly missed a grand slam but his two-run double knotted the score and set up another one for Mauer that proved decisive.

Then on Sunday, he added another mammoth homer and drove in five, carrying the Twins offense in a 7-5 victory that pushed the team's final April record above .500. A year ago they were 10 games under at this time.

Hey, it's only one month. But there's nothing superficial about Sano's immense success thus far. Every underlying element suggests that his emergence as one of baseball's best hitters is completely legitimate. He is swinging less at pitches outside of the zone, and more in the zone. He is blasting rockets to all fields. He is rising to the occasion in big spots.

Oh, and on top of it all, he's looking pretty damn decent defensively over at third base.

MVP? If he keeps up at this rate, he'll easily be in the conversation. But either way, Sano is establishing himself as a star and there is a sense that he's only getting started.

Giddy up.