Article: Twins To Call Up Miguel Sano

[notoriousgod71]

How does this thread only have 31 posts? This is the best Twins news in years, no matter how Sano does for the rest of the month.

[TwinsCD]

I like the Twins being aggressive in bringing up the kids that are supposed to be the cornerstones to the future of the franchise.  Might as well give them a look at what they're going to be facing if they've done all they can do at the minor league level.  I'm still concerned that the learning curve is a bit too much on a fast track but maybe that's me still having reservations from what they did with Hicks.  We'll see.  Definitely be worth tuning in tomorrow night to see how Sano starts out.

[stringer bell]

There are prospects and there are PROSPECTS. Sano and Buxton are the upper-case type. They might struggle short-term, but within a year they should be cornerstones. Nobody should block them. Now jumping from AA does give some pause and increases the chance that they will not succeed immediately.

[jokin]

 

I agree with the Bonnes man, I'd say "probably No". If Sano has success in the next 2 weeks? The Twins will trust him. I'm not expecting him to have success however. (not this year)

But, Unlike the Buxton decision, I am more behind this promotion.

http://mlb.mlb.com/schedule/?c_id=min#y=2015&m=7&calendar=DEFAULT
the schedule coming up is nasty, and the Twins are just hoping to catch fire in Sano's bat.

If he hits, great, he could help save the season.

If he doesn't, we, the Twins might find ourselves 10-12 GB of K.C. and lose ground to the Tigers 5 or 6 GB and probably fall just below the Indians before you know it.


GO MIGUEL SANO!

and front office, you got this one right,

Still NO ExcuseS for the Buxton debacle, in my mind.

 

Wow. The complete opposite is likely closer to  the truth.  Buxton's debut was far from a debacle - given the level of pitching that he faced, the results were pretty much as expected.  Even if Buxton doesn't initially hit out of the chute, he inordinately helps to make the Twins OF suddenly one of the best in the league.  Whereas, at this point, Sano has little else to offer if he initially struggles at the plate.

[jokin]

 

There are prospects and there are PROSPECTS. Sano and Buxton are the upper-case type. They might struggle short-term, but within a year they should be cornerstones. Nobody should block them. Now jumping from AA does give some pause and increases the chance that they will not succeed immediately.

 

 

Indeed, it could very well happen, the odds for failure at the plate are probably better than 50% for the near future.  But the most important thing going forward is that the page has now been turned.

[bird]

 

The twins have been shouting about the quality of their MiL System for several years.  A very promising season is teetering--the promotions:  Buxton, Sano, et al--are "up" to save this season and justify all of the hype about them.  I wish them well, but they will have a tough row to hoe (sorry for that one) and the harvest might be bitter roots.  We shall wish for the best.  But the month of July is crucial, "June swoon" had better not be followed by "July poke-in-the-eye".

 

You might very well be right that these guys don't change the game for us in their first few months. But it shouldn't be some unexpected buzzkill if they don't.

 

And let's be clear: all the shouting and hype we've been hearing about these prospects is coming from the industry. You have not been witnessing a whole bunch of chest-thumping going on from the Twins. They've been admirably constrained in talking about these guys.

[bird]

 

Big news, congrats to Sano. Wow, the Twins are really getting aggressive. Now, if they want more offense, bring up Kepler too. Great to see our prospects moving up.

 

Reusse mentioned this afternoon that someonee with the Twins suggested people hold their horses a bit regarding Kepler, that he's not ready quite yet for the big show.

[bird]

 

If Vargas was sent to AA because Chattanooga needs a 1B, then is it safe to assume they aren't playing Kepler at 1b anymore?

 

 

One of the theories being floated out there is that they want to give Chad Allen a crack at him. Not substantiated, but the thought was that they want to see if he responds better to him than he has to the Rochester guy and to Bruno.

[drock2190]

 

Also people need to temper their enthusiasm on Max Kepler DOWN a bit.

Remember Jason Kubel, Michael Restovich, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hit like Kepler is hitting right now in the Minors NEARLY EVERY single year in their minors career, before they got to the big leagues.

THIS is the 1st Season Kepler has hit like this in his ENTIRE profesional career.


MAX KEPLER will be nothing more than a September call-up at best.
He's the kind of guy that HAS to see AAA pitching before you can expect anything from him.

 

While I agree, its good to be slow with him, you can't compare him to the Joe Mauer, Michael Restovich, ect.

 

Totally different prospects with different approaches, stats, ect. 

 

The best thing would be for Kepler to finish the year at Triple AAA. He has a good ISO but he could hit a few more homeruns. I do like the nearly identical walk to strikeout rate, that is very promising.

[nater79a]

 

First, a hearty congratulations to Miguel Sano. He's getting to live the dream; now let's see him make some dreams come true at the plate!

 

Condolences to Kennys Vargas. He's a good guy, but needs to get his mojo back at the plate. My suggestion: Swing more like that guy with the Red Sox, what's his name...David Ortiz.

 

My prediction for next position player call-up is easy: Twins need a shortstop that looks a lot like Jorge Polanco. After that my eyes grow heavy and my sight grows dim, I'll have to stop for the night... ;-)

 

But I'll guess that Hicks comes up before Kepler. But I won't bet much on it because Kepler looks like a legit hitter.

 

Interestinger and interestinger.

 

I hope after opponent's pitchers face Sano they mutter to themselves "You can stab him with your steely knives, but you just can't kill the beast".

 

[nater79a]

Okay, Sano is a good start (hopefully) on fixing the offense. Now get to work on the Twins' dumpster fire of a bullpen.

[David HK]

Omg- is this an Onion article?

[drjim]

 

Let me ask a question here....

 

The Twins are pretty clearly hoping Sano fixes their problems at DH. My question is, does his success or failure over the next three weeks really indicate if the Twins can trust him at that position for the rest of the year? If he has success over the next two weeks, should we really trust him? And if he doesn't, should we hand it over to him regardless?

 

I kind of think the answer to both is "no." And if that's the answer ... then isn't he going to be replaced in a few weeks one way or the other?

 

Unless he really collapses at the plate and looks completely lost (which I doubt), he's up for the long haul either way.

 

The team could have gone a couple of ways with this callup (including not demoting Vargas) and chose him. This isn't an injury replacement, this isn't desperation and this isn't a September cup of coffee. This means they deem him ready and elite prospects generally don't go the yo-yo treatment that more marginal prospects receive (with my one caveat).

[drjim]

 

This is good news - I like giving our top propsects a taste of what they are in for, even if they don't stick the first time around.

 

I think the legacy chestnut of "Twins slow to promote" can be laid to rest this season. The escalator is running fast.

 

Funny how that works when there elite talent to move. As expected.

[drjim]

 

I hope that the Twins give Sano a sporadic duty of DH.  They can rotate:

 

Sano/Plouffe: 3B/DH

Plouffe/Hunter: OF/DH

Mauer/Plouffe: 1B/DH

 

if they do that, Sano should be the starting third baseman 8 out of 10 games.

 

You don't give up on kids that young to make them DHs...  As a matter of fact, Sano's glove (and arm) at third (now) is better than Plouffe's was at the beginning of last season.  And methinks that Plouffe is a better OF than Escobar and/or Santana, so that is a win win.  

 

I expect (Danny) Santana for Hicks next.

 

Why put Plouffe in the OF instead of Sano. Make both positions worse?

[BrianTrottier]

 

Still NO ExcuseS for the Buxton debacle, in my mind.

 

Just curious what "debacle" you're talking about. He's played all of 11 games and was showing improvement at the plate on top of stellar defense before getting injured (which itself does not constitute a debacle). Cut the kid some slack and allow him to learn the major league game before dismissing his performance.

[drjim]

 

Also people need to temper their enthusiasm on Max Kepler DOWN a bit.

Remember Jason Kubel, Michael Restovich, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau hit like Kepler is hitting right now in the Minors NEARLY EVERY single year in their minors career, before they got to the big leagues.

THIS is the 1st Season Kepler has hit like this in his ENTIRE profesional career.


MAX KEPLER will be nothing more than a September call-up at best.
He's the kind of guy that HAS to see AAA pitching before you can expect anything from him.

 

Indeed they do. Kepler is great right where he is doing what he is doing.

 

Also - Arcia and Hicks are ahead of him and will get a crack again, plus Buxton will return at some point. It would take a lot of injuries for Kepler to even get a September callup.

[drjim]

 

Generally I agree, but Vargas looked pretty lost.  The mistake was sending him down the first time, this time seems justified.  But this team is caught in a weird in-between of rebuilding and contending and that is forcing them to act in a weird in-between way.

 

The mistake was calling him back up. He wasn't ready but the team was desperate for a body. Now he'll get his time, hopefully get his stuff together and have a chance to return.

[MileHighTwinsFan]

Enough with the Plouffe in the outfield, Sano at 3B 8/10 games malarkey. Plouffe has played an outstanding 3b and needs to be in the starting lineup there almost everyday. Sano is a DH right now with the occasional spot start at third.

[twinsnorth49]

Wowsers!! Just checking in during my Canada Day celebrations up in Vermillion Bay to discover this news!

 

Best Canada Day in years, back to celebrating!!!!!

 

Coming down for the Mariners series, this is the best news I could have received. Let's hope Buck makes it back by then, the thought of seeing both of them during that series brings a tear to my eye.....in a good way.

[howeda7]

This post has exceeded the maximum # of cliches allowed.

The twins have been shouting about the quality of their MiL System for several years.  A very promising season is teetering--the promotions:  Buxton, Sano, et al--are "up" to save this season and justify all of the hype about them.  I wish them well, but they will have a tough row to hoe (sorry for that one) and the harvest might be bitter roots.  We shall wish for the best.  But the month of July is crucial, "June swoon" had better not be followed by "July poke-in-the-eye".

 

[tobi0040]

I just hope that over the next 15-20 games, regardless of what happens we all realize that it means very little in predicting the type of major league player he will be.

 

So after 3 games, or 8, or 12, let's just all have a little patience. He probably is not going to go 4-4 with 2 HR and a double the first game and that is okay.  He will probably be nervous as hell right away.

 

Let's also remember that he will be replacing a DH with an OPS of .642.  He was ready and we are contending, so all he needs to do is beat that mark to be a worthwhile call.

Edited July 2, 2015 by tobi0040

[USAFChief]

The mistake was calling him back up. He wasn't ready but the team was desperate for a body. Now he'll get his time, hopefully get his stuff together and have a chance to return.

Gotta disagree here, Jim. It was a mistake to send down Vargas the first time. An already weak offense was deprived of its best chance at a competent DH. That he hasn't hit since his recall is irrelevant...no matter the result, running futility infielders out there as DHs is not an answer.

 

I have no problem swapping Vargas for Sano, hope it works, but IMO this should be Vargas' first trip to the minors.

[dougkoebernick]

 

Any suggestion that Mauer should catch seems dismissive of the reality of brain injury, and callous towards the well being of a person. Mauer told Buster Posey to catch as long as he can. Too many people are a bit cavalier about such things... I will leave it at that... Looking forward to seeing Mr. Sano!

Agreed. Well stated. Joe Mauer will never catch again. Never. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never. Anyone who suggests that he should probably received a few smacks upside the head in the past. Again, Joe Mauer is done catching. Please accept that and move on.

 

 

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

I think people will be pleasantly surprised by Sano's defense.

 

I saw a game in Chattanooga earlier this year and Sano looked really good at third base. He made three good plays on slow rollers/choppers on the infield, and a really good catch on a foul ball that was hit into that Bermuda triangle of foul territory that's near the stands but beyond the dugout. He ran out there, took charge and caught the ball over his shoulder.

 

Granted, it was just one game, and plays that are tough in AA should be considered routine for an MLB 3B - but I stand by the statement that he's not bad defensively. I could see in just one game that he was not tentative, moved well (for a Hulking Man Beast), and has a cannon arm. He might even be able to stick at third longer than most people have projected.

[zenser]

I was regretting the decision to not to KC this weekend.  I am really regretting it now!

[mnfireman]

First off, no way does Plouffe get moved to the OF, not with Buxton, Robinson, Rosario, Hunter, Arcia, Kepler, Hicks, etc... Until Plouffe plays his way out or Sano plays his way in, 3B stays as is. Next, if this truly is a youth movement, Arcia, who has seemingly found his stroke again, and Hicks should be promoted. The only argument to not do this is that all the kids need playing time and some have to stay behind. Pinto should be brought up once cleared to play again, and there are enough arms doing well in the minors to overhaul the BP.

 

Good luck to Sano and show us what ya got!

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Sending Vargas down makes more sense if Sano is going to DH a lot while he's up here. I already thought that Kennys was getting inconsistent playing time (with inconsistent results at the plate), so everybody gets more AB's this way.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Way too positive a development for a lot of posts. Can't complain or go back to the usual standbys of promoting to slow and not being aggressive.

 

Sigh.....why can't we talk about the news, and not posters. I don't know how this can be considered "fast"....he's one of the last elite prospects to get a promotion this year.

 

As for expectations, why can't we expect Bryant, Pederson, Correa type results? Whey should an ELITE prospect come up, and we should expect them to be bad?

[tobi0040]

 

First off, no way does Plouffe get moved to the OF, not with Buxton, Robinson, Rosario, Hunter, Arcia, Kepler, Hicks, etc... Until Plouffe plays his way out or Sano plays his way in, 3B stays as is. Next, if this truly is a youth movement, Arcia, who has seemingly found his stroke again, and Hicks should be promoted. The only argument to not do this is that all the kids need playing time and some have to stay behind. Pinto should be brought up once cleared to play again, and there are enough arms doing well in the minors to overhaul the BP.

 

 

Completely agree Plouffe has 3B. Barring injury, that gets addressed this off-season if ever.

 

We need to see more out of Arcia and Hicks.  Promoting guys based on a few good games is not what we need.  It causes this constant up and down that we have seen the last year (Vargas, Arcia, Hicks, etc.).

 

In 29 games, Arcia has an OPS of .658 against AAA pitching.  8 hits in his last 3 games is great, but we need to see a longer period of success.  Especially since we don't really have a place for him.

 

 

Including his 3 hits last night, Hicks is 4 for 21 on this rehab assignment.