The State of Miguel Sano: Looking Good!

[HitInAPinch]

Wow!   And reading the article, it looks like Twins fans got what they were praying for:

 

http://www.startribune.com/a-fitter-migues-sano-showing-twins-he-s-ready-to-take-next-step-in-career/412025626/

 

 

http://stmedia.stimg.co/08_02TWIN012917_43540673.JPG?w=525

[Han Joelo]

Good share.  Get ready for the inevitable criticisms of the inevitable "best shape of my life" stories like this one.

 

I dig the tarantula haircut.

[Squirrel]

 

Good share.  Get ready for the inevitable criticisms of the inevitable "best shape of my life" stories like this one.

 

I dig the tarantula haircut.

I think he needs to see Arcia's stylist ... I always liked those "Look at me I'm CRAZY (but in a good way)" hair cuts he had.

[NoCryingInBaseball]

I was looking for him last night at Twinsfest, but didn’t see him. Wanted to see for myself what kind of shape he is in….judging by the photo in this morning’s Star Trib, he seems to have put better effort in than last off-season!

[EddieMatthews]

Sano is still too heavy at 255.  Playing at 3B, he will make a lot of quick steps, putting him at increased risk of muscle pulls and other nagging injuries.  The fact that he lost 15 pounds and muscled up says a lot.  Now if he can squeeze that tarantula under his Twins cap, he should be good to go.

[nytwinsfan]

This is a nice surprise.  Thank goodness Falvey/Levine see Sano as a huge asset at 3B. It is criminal that Ryan, Molitor and a lot of fans thought Sano should be playing in RF to keep a mediocre veteran in the lineup. What a waste of development and talent last year. 

[TheLeviathan]

 

Good share.  Get ready for the inevitable criticisms of the inevitable "best shape of my life" stories like this one.

 

I dig the tarantula haircut.

 

Hey, I don't mind a "best shape of my life" story!  Just don't feed me that every spring training,

 

Speaking of feeding, Miguel looks good, hopefully the power maintains because it looks like he's quite a bit more svelte than last year.  

[Jham]

 

This is a nice surprise.  Thank goodness Falvey/Levine see Sano as a huge asset at 3B. It is criminal that Ryan, Molitor and a lot of fans thought Sano should be playing in RF to keep a mediocre veteran in the lineup. What a waste of development and talent last year. 

 

Oh playing right field for less than a half of a season set him waaay back...  That's why his 3B was awful, pop ups hit him in the head or not at all, and uppercut every swing?  I was in favor of him being in right, because there are fewer chances for him to screw up there than at 3rd (although mistakes tend to be more costly).  But a healthy Plouffe compared to... 1 of the Schaefer's in the line up?  I mean it's debatable, but hardly criminal.

I'm interested in seeing Sano develop 1 thing: backspin.  He can't be an elite power hitter with his hardest hit balls diving like a forkball.  If he can do that he'll hit 50 and it won't matter much where we play him!  Hope you're right about him being able to play 3rd though.

[Squirrel]

I was hopeful even before reading this article because of the lack of articles coming out in the off season of him not doing the things he was asked to do. Many of us speculated a large part of this was a maturity issue and it sounds as if he's turned that corner. Good for him first. Good for us second.

[birddog]

We fans have had nothing but "ifs" for way too long, but if Sano and Buxton are the players we thought they could be starting this year, Twins will be fun to watch. Not saying we'll win more than 70 games, but the offense will make it worth tuning in. Would love to have Sano prove he deserves the 3B job and not have to wait in the long line of DH's.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Oh playing right field for less than a half of a season set him waaay back...  That's why his 3B was awful, pop ups hit him in the head or not at all, and uppercut every swing?  I was in favor of him being in right, because there are fewer chances for him to screw up there than at 3rd (although mistakes tend to be more costly).  But a healthy Plouffe compared to... 1 of the Schaefer's in the line up?  I mean it's debatable, but hardly criminal.

I'm interested in seeing Sano develop 1 thing: backspin.  He can't be an elite power hitter with his hardest hit balls diving like a forkball.  If he can do that he'll hit 50 and it won't matter much where we play him!  Hope you're right about him being able to play 3rd though.

Sano does some good things at third base. Embrace the Error, and all your worries will wash away.

[nytwinsfan]

 

Oh playing right field for less than a half of a season set him waaay back...  That's why his 3B was awful, pop ups hit him in the head or not at all, and uppercut every swing?  I was in favor of him being in right, because there are fewer chances for him to screw up there than at 3rd (although mistakes tend to be more costly).  But a healthy Plouffe compared to... 1 of the Schaefer's in the line up?  I mean it's debatable, but hardly criminal.

I'm interested in seeing Sano develop 1 thing: backspin.  He can't be an elite power hitter with his hardest hit balls diving like a forkball.  If he can do that he'll hit 50 and it won't matter much where we play him!  Hope you're right about him being able to play 3rd though.

Yes actually, I do think it set him back quite a bit and I do think that is a big reason his 3B was awful (which isn't to say his defense would have been good at 3B, just that it would have been materially better). I think any 22 yo who has spent the last 5-6 years doing one thing at a pretty elite level, and then all of a sudden is told to do something quite different for 6 months to a year at an EVEN MORE ELITE LEVEL, especially when one's natural talents are less compatible with that second thing, would be likely to struggle mightily. I think it's quite naive and presumptuous to think otherwise. I also think it is quite possible his struggles in the field had a carry-over effect on his hitting as well. I think it was a disaster of decision and by itself justifies firing Ryan (although there were other reasons for that as well) and possibly Molitor as well. And yes, I and many others predicted that this was exactly what would happen. We told everyone so, and we were right.

 

Also, we could have easily found another decent outfielder instead of Schaffer to fill in until Kepler was ready.  

[Squirrel]

This is me the regular poster and not the moderator, in case anyone is unsure as to the intent of this post. But can we move forward and focus on who Sano could hopefully be this season? I mean come on ... was him in RF a mistake, yes. HUGE mistake? Debatable to some? Sure. That season is over. The man who ultimately made that decision is gone. The person who, um, 'necessitated' that decision is gone. It's a brand new day and new season in Sano world. Let's look forward and be hopeful.

[Linus]

Yes actually, I do think it set him back quite a bit and I do think that is a big reason his 3B was awful (which isn't to say his defense would have been good at 3B, just that it would have been materially better). I think any 22 yo who has spent the last 5-6 years doing one thing at a pretty elite level, and then all of a sudden is told to do something quite different for 6 months to a year at an EVEN MORE ELITE LEVEL, especially when one's natural talents are less compatible with that second thing, would be likely to struggle mightily. I think it's quite naive and presumptuous to think otherwise. I also think it is quite possible his struggles in the field had a carry-over effect on his hitting as well. I think it was a disaster of decision and by itself justifies firing Ryan (although there were other reasons for that as well) and possibly Molitor as well. And yes, I and many others predicted that this was exactly what would happen. We told everyone so, and we were right.

 

Also, we could have easily found another decent outfielder instead of Schaffer to fill in until Kepler was ready.

Ummm...if playing right for a month and a half put him in such a tailspin he is not mentally tough enough to be a great MLB player.

[nytwinsfan]

 

Ummm...if playing right for a month and a half put him in such a tailspin he is not mentally tough enough to be a great MLB player.

 

Yeah, I'd rather not get in trouble with the moderator, so I'm not going to say what I really think other than that I think you are completely wrong.

[Vanimal46]

Good for Sano! He's looking great and dare I say, VERY athletic*

 

Looks like last season was a big wake up call for him. I have confidence this will be a great season for him.

 

*Drink!

[drjim]

 

Ummm...if playing right for a month and a half put him in such a tailspin he is not mentally tough enough to be a great MLB player.

 

Putting him in RF might have been a mistake, but I think this point is obvious.

 

That said, I do think the bigger issue than moving to RF was he didn't seem to take last offseason seriously enough. Happens with young players, especially if they have some early success. Does seem he has learned from his mistake. We shall see.

[KGB]

Yes actually, I do think it set him back quite a bit and I do think that is a big reason his 3B was awful (which isn't to say his defense would have been good at 3B, just that it would have been materially better). I think any 22 yo who has spent the last 5-6 years doing one thing at a pretty elite level, and then all of a sudden is told to do something quite different for 6 months to a year at an EVEN MORE ELITE LEVEL, especially when one's natural talents are less compatible with that second thing, would be likely to struggle mightily. I think it's quite naive and presumptuous to think otherwise. I also think it is quite possible his struggles in the field had a carry-over effect on his hitting as well. I think it was a disaster of decision and by itself justifies firing Ryan (although there were other reasons for that as well) and possibly Molitor as well. And yes, I and many others predicted that this was exactly what would happen. We told everyone so, and we were right.

 

Also, we could have easily found another decent outfielder instead of Schaffer to fill in until Kepler was ready.

 

http://www.startribune.com/twins-considering-all-options-including-very-difficult-decisions-with-players/401817835/

 

Sounds like the new front office also thinks playing Sano in the outfield is a good idea.

[nytwinsfan]

 

http://www.startribune.com/twins-considering-all-options-including-very-difficult-decisions-with-players/401817835/

Sounds like the new front office also thinks playing Sano in the outfield is a good idea.

I think that sounds like he could play there in a pinch. Let's say you have Chris Sale on the mound and you need to get as many RH/switch hitting bats in the lineup as possible (i.e., Sano, Park, Vargas, Grossman, Escobar), and your pitcher is Gibson, so there are going to be a lot of ground balls, then sure, put Sano in right for a game with Escobar at SS and Polanco at 3B for a game.  But it sounds like Sano is going to prepare to be the every day 3B, so I'm happy.

[Jham]

 

Yes actually, I do think it set him back quite a bit and I do think that is a big reason his 3B was awful (which isn't to say his defense would have been good at 3B, just that it would have been materially better). I think any 22 yo who has spent the last 5-6 years doing one thing at a pretty elite level, and then all of a sudden is told to do something quite different for 6 months to a year at an EVEN MORE ELITE LEVEL, especially when one's natural talents are less compatible with that second thing, would be likely to struggle mightily. I think it's quite naive and presumptuous to think otherwise. I also think it is quite possible his struggles in the field had a carry-over effect on his hitting as well. I think it was a disaster of decision and by itself justifies firing Ryan (although there were other reasons for that as well) and possibly Molitor as well. And yes, I and many others predicted that this was exactly what would happen. We told everyone so, and we were right.

 

Also, we could have easily found another decent outfielder instead of Schaffer to fill in until Kepler was ready.  

You can't call your theory "quite possible" and then say it's presumptuous and naiive to think otherwise...  He hit worse once moved to third...  He also played 3rd at an abysmal level even at the end of the season.  Which I and many others predicted, and so we were right... too...  This isn't a contest, and that's not a good thing. Maybe he'll improve and be league avg. at third and hit top-spinners over fences to all fields, and I will gladly say NYTwinsfan was right and I am happy to be wrong...  Right now his swing plane generates top spin to his power field, which means he'll hit fewer HR and have more lasers caught by left fielders than necessary.  That's his biggest issue, in my opinion.  I don't see him having a defensive position other than first base.  If he's not a better fielder than Mauer, he definitely shouldn't be playing third.  If he is better, then he should be at first, and Mauer should DH and stay fresh.  


 

[Squirrel]

Yeah, I'd rather not get in trouble with the moderator, so I'm not going to say what I really think other than that I think you are completely wrong.

Dude, I articulated very clearly that my post was NOT a moderator post but just a regular post. As a fan of the Twins we have enough to get frustrated about without rehashing the past. This is a HOPEFUL article about the future of Sano not past mistakes that are in the past. Let's move forward.

[Vanimal46]

Putting him in RF might have been a mistake, but I think this point is obvious.

 

That said, I do think the bigger issue than moving to RF was he didn't seem to take last offseason seriously enough. Happens with young players, especially if they have some early success. Does seem he has learned from his mistake. We shall see.

Concur. That's what it looked like from my POV last season. And it makes sense... Dude was crushing throughout the minor leagues, and kept crushing pitchers when he was called up in 2015. It's certainly possible that he thought this was easy and continued to rely on natural ability without working on other things.

 

We should all hope he's learned from his down year and comes back strong this season.

[Jham]

 

Concur. That's what it looked like from my POV last season. And it makes sense... Dude was crushing throughout the minor leagues, and kept crushing pitchers when he was called up in 2015. It's certainly possible that he thought this was easy and continued to rely on natural ability without working on other things.

We should all hope he's learned from his down year and comes back strong this season.

He's young and he received criticism and some negative feedback for probably the first time in his career.  He may have resented this at first, but he's a kid who not only missed out on the college years, but also his high school years.  That's the cost of being a sports prodigy.  Now he has money and last year had a free off-season.  Distractions were imminent.  If he adjusts and dedicates himself in the way he did to get here in the first place, he should be just fine with a chance at being really great.  He's got the personality to be a leader as well, which this team sorely needs.
 

[theBOMisthebomb]

Here's hoping that the weight loss and added muscle translate to more consistency. Sano seemed tired at times last year. I would also like to see less monkeying around on the bench - it's okay and encouraged to have fun - it just seemed Sano was goofing around a bit too much and not as laser focused as necessary. If the changes mentioned in the link get the Twins Sano's game changing potential harnessed into reality, what a great offseason. It will be an all time downer if Sano doesn't progress and fulfill a large portion of his potential.

[jorgenswest]

A team can with with a Sano at 3B. His strong arm allows him to play deeper increasing his range. He will make errors on routine plays but those will lessen as he plays more. It had been since 2013 since he played 3B consistently over a full season. He will be below average but his defense will be adequate on a corner given his bat.

[USAFChief]

My .02: I'm more concerned by what I perceived as a lack of dedication and/or maturity than anything that may or may not have resulted fom the move to RF, which shouldn't have been a big deal.

 

I'm hopeful he's learned this is a tough profession, particularly at the highest level, and to reach his goals he needs to work at it. If so, I think he's talented enough to be a star.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Two thoughts:

 

1. That photo is shocking. I don't think the guy can get much smaller than that without losing muscle. It doesn't appear there's much fat on that body right now.

 

2. Albeit a year late, I'm glad Sano and the Twins agreed on a position during the offseason and let the guy get in some reps with a glove on his hand.

[HitInAPinch]

 

Two thoughts:

 

1. That photo is shocking. I don't think the guy can get much smaller than that without losing muscle. It doesn't appear there's much fat on that body right now.

 

2. Albeit a year late, I'm glad Sano and the Twins agreed on a position during the offseason and let the guy get in some reps with a glove on his hand.

Just goes to show how much fat he was carrying around.  There's just so many things in that article that I really wanted to hear about Sano's offseason.

 

Now, about that hair......

[KirbyDome89]

I'm waiting on the Reusse article blasting him for losing "too much weight," and using it as the cause the minute he dips into even a slight lull during the season....

[drjim]

I'm waiting on the Reusse article blasting him for losing "too much weight," and using it as the cause the minute he dips into even a slight lull during the season....

That would be the logical follow up to last year when he was dead accurate about Sano.