Article: Where Will Miguel Sano Play?

[Nick Nelson]

After taking a year off to recover from elbow surgery, Miguel Sano is back in Twins camp and opening some eyes with his prodigious power. Folks around the compound have marveled at his strength during batting practice sessions in which he has routinely driven baseballs well beyond the outfield walls.

 

If Sano's bat isn't major-league ready, it is very, very close. Finding a place in the lineup for him will not be difficult. Finding a place in the field for him... well, that's another story.More than two years ago, I posed this question: Is Miguel Sano too big to stay at third? At the time, he was 19 years old and listed at 240 pounds -- already as big as any third baseman in the majors. Taking all factors into account, I concluded that "the odds seem heavily stacked against him remaining at his current position, especially with an organization that values steady defense more than most."

 

Now, he's shown up to camp at a whopping 260 pounds,

. According to 1500 ESPN's Derek Wetmore, the gain occurred "because for parts of his recovery period from last year's Tommy John surgery ... [sano] wasn't able to run or do workouts like he ordinarily would."

 

There's also the fact that the young slugger seems to have little interest in keeping his weight down. In his own words: "I eat everything ... I don't like the nutrition. [i eat] whatever I want. If there's something here I'm eating."

 

At age 21, Sano is already bigger than basically any third baseman in baseball. Pablo Sandoval is in the conversation; he's listed at 245 but is also five inches shorter than Sano. Nevertheless, it's rare for a guy that size to stick at the hot corner, and that's before you account for the questions that already surrounded Sano's footwork, accuracy and consistency -- not to mention the challenges he faces in learning to throw with a surgically repaired elbow.

 

For their part, the Twins are publicly trying to maintain optimism that Sano can stay at third, as best they can. But the skepticism shows through when you read quotes like this one from Paul Molitor:

 

"I was working today on the bunt defenses; he's trying," Molitor said. "There are things that are going to be a challenge for him. We've got to keep an eye on him. He's a big boy. He carries it pretty well, but you've got to have some athleticism. He's got to keep that ... if he wants to play a corner-infield position in the big leagues, especially third base."

 

The Twins had their frustrations with Trevor Plouffe's defense, at least up until last year, and there's a good chance that the hulking Dominican will make Plouffe's range and reactions -- even in those early days at third base -- look stellar by comparison. Even if he does carry his weight well, it's difficult to imagine Sano offering much in the way of lateral movement or spryness when it comes to, say, charging and fielding a bunt.

 

If (when?) the Twins decide that third base just isn't going to work out, there's been some talk of moving him to an outfield corner, but that seems like a less than ideal alternative. His lack of mobility would be an issue, particularly with Oswaldo Arcia patrolling the other side, and he also has zero professional experience playing anywhere other than the infield.

 

The more likely destination would be first base or designated hitter. This is unfortunate because it would mean putting his powerful arm -- rated by some scouts as an 80 on a 20-80 scale -- to waste, and even more so because it's going to be very tricky to find room for him at either of those spots.

 

Joe Mauer obviously is entrenched at first base, and while many fans have pondered the notion of moving him to an outfield spot, the Twins have never openly considered such a switch. More than likely, he's going to remain at first until his contract expires in 2018.

 

So we're left with DH, where Kennys Vargas is currently penciled in. Vargas is young and unproven enough that there could be an opening here, but obviously everyone is hoping he can stick and the idea of him and Sano in the same lineup is beyond tantalizing. Unfortunately, it's growing more and more difficult to see how that's going to feasibly work.

 

What do you think? Where can Sano fit in if the Twins want to get his bat up as quickly as possible?

 

Click here to view the article

[nytwinsfan]

Umm, can they tell him if he wants to play in the majors this year, he needs to lose 15 pounds? Even if that isn't entirely true, can't they tell him that? I understand he is an adult, and can do what he wants, and also that they don't want to create animostity, but the reality is, his value to the team (and the money he will make in the medium run) is significantly less if he has to move to 1B, corner outfield, or DH. Someone he respects/trusts needs to sit down with him an have a conversation. It seems like he's still under the impression he is going to be playing third, so maybe before any threats about playing time/call ups, they need to give him an honest if harsh wake up call so he fully understands he can't stay at 3B at 260 pounds. There really is nowhere else for him to go without moving Mauer, Vargas or Arcia. We just can't have an outfield with Arcia and Sano.

[Seth Stohs]

In my opinion, Plouffe being at 3B is a bigger reason that he won't come up as a 3B than his weight is. 

 

He weighed in at 262 a year ago at Spring Training. He said he typically loses 5-8 pounds during spring training and played between 250 and 255. He said that's about what he played the 2013 season at and people talked about his defense being solid.

 

No one is saying he's going to be a Gold Glove third baseman, but I have little concern that he can play the position. Long term? I'm less sure.

[nytwinsfan]

In my opinion, Plouffe being at 3B is a bigger reason that he won't come up as a 3B than his weight is. 

 

He weighed in at 262 a year ago at Spring Training. He said he typically loses 5-8 pounds during spring training and played between 250 and 255. He said that's about what he played the 2013 season at and people talked about his defense being solid.

 

No one is saying he's going to be a Gold Glove third baseman, but I have little concern that he can play the position. Long term? I'm less sure.

Ok, well that is useful context. Agreed that he doesn't need to be a Gold Glove 3B, although only a slightly below average fielder would be great. The weight is all the more reason to take our time with Sano. Give him time to lose some of the weight, and also give him the hint that we have a great fielding 3B already, so if he wants to supplant him, he'll need to prove he can field adequately (and thus keep the weight off). I'd much rather wait a bit longer on Sano if it means he can play at 3B for even 2-4 years. That's just too valuable, and the Twins likely won't be competing this year anyway. They likely will be in 2016-2019.

[Kwak]

"I eat whatever I want", "I eat everything".  Perhaps discipline is needed.  Given what we see now, the likelihood he emulates Fielder (take your pick) is high.  If  the Twins can't help him control himself, wait until he hits his 35-40 HRs--and trade him!

[TRex]

Don't take this the wrong way, Nick, but if you believe the weights on the back of the bubble-gum cards... I've got some land right next to Fort Myers to sell you! Puck was listed at 210 in his final year, and Hrbie at 230! Furthermore, if Panda weighs 245, I'll eat my shirt (well, I spilled a little ketchup on it earlier, so I may eat it anyway)!

 

Jim Thome was brutal in the field and still logged 500 games at 3rd base before moving to 1st/DH. I think we could hold off on the Sano debate until we see him at the major league level (or if his arm strength doesn't return), but I guess it is pretty easy to paint a target on Sano's keester.

[Willihammer]

There's also the fact that the young slugger seems to have little interest in keeping his weight down. In his own words: "I eat everything ... I don't like the nutrition. [i eat] whatever I want. If there's something here I'm eating."

Paging Torii Hunter

[nytwinsfan]

Panda is also only 5 foot 11, so even if he did only weigh 240, that's still a bit more weight relative to the frame.

 

Also, here is some context for Cabrera's weight of "240."  http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2012/02/detroit_tigers_miguel_cabrera_2.html

Edited March 4, 2015 by nytwinsfan

[twinsfan34]

In this picture, Sano weighed in at 252 lbs for TwinsFest 2014 (circa Jan 21, 2014). He looks pretty good for 252.

 

http://aarongleeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Sano-and-Buxton.jpg

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8Roc5CLWBY/UubE5MqUuuI/AAAAAAAAHjI/BH4BkypHPKE/s1600/sano-twinsfest.jpg

 

Definitely not "the Panda" sort of look.

 

Also, he weighed in at 262 at Spring Training in 2014 and they still had him at 3B during position drills. Just saying...

[jay]

If Sano, Vargas, Arcia, Mauer and Plouffe are all Twins, one of them has to play the OF corner opposite Arcia. The math is pretty easy to figure that one out.

 

Which of Sano, Mauer and Plouffe would make the best RFer? All 3 guys have the arm for it. Plouffe probably runs the best. Cuddyer, part deux?

[twinsfan34]

NYTwinsFan hit it pretty nicely there. A big difference between a listed 5'11" 240 (Sandoval) and the likes of a a 6'4" 240 (Cabrera) and a 6'4" 262 (Sano) player.

[sploorp]

I don't believe I'm the only one who's never seen the guy play, but people who have say he does just fine at third.  I say put him on a diet if you need to, but let the kid play third until his performance demands it and/or a position opens up elsewhere.  It's not like a potential championship is on the line or anything.

 

The thought of Sano, Arcia and Vargas hitting back to back to back with Buxton, Santana and Rosario all in there somewhere is making me drool all over my keyboard.

[USAFChief]

He seems about the same size as Scott Rolen to me.

 

He's not too big. He will have to work to keep weight off, but he's got enough athleticism and agility to play third.

[shs_59]

Its definately a concern for me, I mean at some point with-in the next 2-3 years he'll have to change his diet.

Because when you hit you're mid or upper 20's you're metabolism starts to slow down and then again when ur in ur low 30's a significant amount.

 

I'm starting to feel if we get 2-3 decent years of 3B out of Sano we'll have to take it and run with it.  I'd be happy with that. 

 

I like Plouffe in Left next year , Arcia back in RF.

 

in 2017 I'm not sure where Sano will be, honestly.

[clutterheart]

If Sano can't play third his value drops considerably.

[DocBauer]

Around 250, or whatever his "normal" weight is, he stays at 3B. And with time and work...along with a little more maturity, and that's reality, not a knock...he might be very good at third with his arm and overall athleticism. But he'll be average at best when he first comes up. And that's ok. Gaetti and Koskie were both average at best when they first arrived. Same with current 3B Plouffe. Same with just about any good ML 3B.

 

Bat comes first, defense arrives a little later. But even if/when he moves, 1B is the obvious move. It's a mirror to 3B defensively, more or less, and thus easier to transition to vs the OF. Additionally, with Arcia and Buxton scheduled for 2 of 3 OF spots, and Rosario and others on the way, keeping Sano in the infield seems to make more sense.

[NoCryingInBaseball]

I have been reading about Sano's weight and it concerns me as well. Obviously Plouffe has 3rd base covered for now, but by the time Sano is ready for the big league he may not be the "flexible"  enough for the range needed for infield hits between SS and 3rd or bunts. Since Mauer can's be traded until after 2018, maybe he should learn another position.

[KGB]

If he hits like everyone says he is able to, I think we'll find a place in the lineup for him.

[tobi0040]

In that scenario jay, I think someone has to go. Beyond a very short time period, I don't think this kid stays at 3b. So I would rather keep a 3b that adds a few wins and is still cheap. And I would not trade Sano and we could not move mauer even if we wanted to. So IMO you have Arcia and Vargas. It really comes down to who would you rather have in a corner, Sano or Arcia?

[Platoon]

In my opinion, Plouffe being at 3B is a bigger reason that he won't come up as a 3B than his weight is. 

 

He weighed in at 262 a year ago at Spring Training. He said he typically loses 5-8 pounds during spring training and played between 250 and 255. He said that's about what he played the 2013 season at and people talked about his defense being solid.

 

No one is saying he's going to be a Gold Glove third baseman, but I have little concern that he can play the position. Long term? I'm less sure.

I saw him in Beloit at third. I have no idea what he weighed then, but movement and athleticism was not his problem. As for Plouffe keeping him down on the farm, consider this. If Sano was and apparently still is one of the top 5 prospects in baseball, and he cannot move Plouffe off of third one of 3 things is going on! The rankings are total BS, the Twins FO does not know talent at all, or Trevor Plouffe is the most under ranked third baseman in the history of MLB!

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think there's something to be said about muscle vs. fat. There's something else to be said about him likely being a very large boned person. The large bones will probably help him from an injury standpoint, and if he's not carrying around a big belly, I'm not so sure we should be terribly worried. You're right in that he's not going to be a good defender out there. I'd like to believe that he can at least peak out around average going into his mid to late 20s.

 

Long term, I think he moves to first or DH. As long as he can smooth out his contact issues, his bat will be exceptional enough that he can be a standout there. I do agree though that him being at 3rd for the first 5 or so years of his career would be absolutely necessary for the Twins.

[Linus]

I think there's something to be said about muscle vs. fat. There's something else to be said about him likely being a very large boned person. The large bones will probably help him from an injury standpoint, and if he's not carrying around a big belly, I'm not so sure we should be terribly worried. You're right in that he's not going to be a good defender out there. I'd like to believe that he can at least peak out around average going into his mid to late 20s.

 

Long term, I think he moves to first or DH. As long as he can smooth out his contact issues, his bat will be exceptional enough that he can be a standout there. I do agree though that him being at 3rd for the first 5 or so years of his career would be absolutely necessary for the Twins.

This.  Body fat percentage is what we should be discussing, not weight.  I have no idea what it is but just looking at him you can tell he is and Sandoval shouldn't even be compared; same thing with Cabrera who looks kind of soft.  The NFL and NBA are filled with athletes that are his size, lean and are amazingly athletic.  He can be the same at third, as long as he is not over-fat, which is different than an arbitrary number of pounds.

 

As far as what to do about the others.  I wouldn't worry just yet about having too many talented players.  If all of them turn into productive big league players, then we have something to worry about but that is far from guaranteed.  If it happens, simply trade Plouffe for whatever our greatest need is and move on.

 

Mostly, let the kid play before we worry about moving him.

[dxpavelka]

Why do we just assume that because he's a big guy he can't play defense?  He's a 21 year old kid.  Let's see what he can do-with the bat and with the glove.  Obviously, having missed all of last year and with no big league experience he's likely going to have to spend part, if not most or all of 2015 in the minors.  But when he gets here we need to take the Thome route-pencil him into the lineup at 3B for about 3 seasons and let the chips fall where they may.  You'd be surprised how many Gold Gloves have been won by guys who hit 40 home runs but couldn't play defense to save their lives.  Put him into the lineup at 3B for a few years commencing late 2015 or early 2016 and guess what-at the end of that time Joe Mauer's contract is up and we may have a open spot at the other corner. 

[Eephus]

If Mauer can return to being a good hitter (OPS in the mid to high 800s), we'll have a great problem on our hands. If the 2014 Mauer is the Mauer of the future, he could really muck things up. Long-term, I'd rather see Sano or Mauer in the outfield than Arcia. If Mauer doesn't improve, I think the Twins have to face up to future without him. Sano must have the athleticism to adjust to the outfield.

[HitInAPinch]

Oh, my.  Over eating?  Give him a strict diet?  OR, do we all have a really short memory? 

 

Sano had Tommy John surgery on his right shoulder.  Recovery time needs to include a period where he can not workout.  That's why he weights whatever he weights right now.  That's also the reason why he will not be in the majors this year unless he makes enormous strides in conditioning and performance and gets a call-up when rosters are expanded at the end of the year.

[USAFChief]

Sano had Tommy John surgery on his right shoulder. .

I smell a malpractice lawsuit just waiting to happen.

[Seth Stohs]

If Sano, Vargas, Arcia, Mauer and Plouffe are all Twins, one of them has to play the OF corner opposite Arcia. The math is pretty easy to figure that one out.

 

Which of Sano, Mauer and Plouffe would make the best RFer? All 3 guys have the arm for it. Plouffe probably runs the best. Cuddyer, part deux?

 

Of those three, Sano is the fastest, and probably by quite a bit. 

[tobi0040]

I saw him in Beloit at third. I have no idea what he weighed then, but movement and athleticism was not his problem. As for Plouffe keeping him down on the farm, consider this. If Sano was and apparently still is one of the top 5 prospects in baseball, and he cannot move Plouffe off of third one of 3 things is going on! The rankings are total BS, the Twins FO does not know talent at all, or Trevor Plouffe is the most under ranked third baseman in the history of MLB!

 

Well, Sano's prospect ranking is likely higher because he may stick at 3B.  That would fall a tad if he projected as a corner OF or more if he was a DH.  Still an elite prospect, but he likely falls behind most of the high end short stops for example.

 

And comments on these boards should be enough proof that Plouffe is drastically undervalued.  He added 3.5 WAR last year at a position we haven't had even average play since about 2004.  He was second among position players in  WAR on the team (Dozier).  He would have been 3rd overall on the world series champion Giants, behind only Posey and Pence. Ahead of Bumgarter and the $95M Panda.

[Eephus]

Of those three, Sano is the fastest, and probably by quite a bit. 

One way or another, I think the Twins need to keep Sano playing a position with his athleticism, arm and age. Who projects to be less a future defensive liability, Vargas as the future first baseman or Arcia as the future LF? If Mauer hits, Arcia or Vargas might need to be exchanged for a pitcher at some point.

[markos]

Of those three, Sano is the fastest, and probably by quite a bit. 

I also think this. I was able to see Sano for a game back in 2013, and he is big but also moves pretty well. He may not have the specific agility/quickness for 3B, but he isn't a slow plodder either.

 

I recall some prospect writer compare him to TE. I suspect that if Sano grew up in the US, he probably would be a TE/DE in college right now.