Article: Sano Doubting Miguel's Talent

[Parker Hageman]

On Tuesday night, with the Twins trailing the White Sox by a run in the seventh inning, Miguel Sano turned on a 3-2 pitch from Nate Jones and launched it into the second deck at Target Field to tie the game. Heavy breathing ensued. The shot ushered in a rally the following inning in which the Twins jumped all over the Sox bullpen and posted three more runs to take the late inning lead and they never looked back.

 

Sano has been nothing short of amazing since pulling on his Minnesota Twins uniform for the first time. While the power numbers are already mind-blowing, Sano’s ability to make adjustments against baseball’s best pitchers suggests the best is yet to come.There is no denying the fact that Sano has been blessed with tons of baseball tools which are developed well beyond those of a typical player at his age. At this point in his young career, his power is unparalleled by 22-year-olds throughout history and he already has a master’s degree in zone comprehension. These two factors alone have made him an unmitigated force in the middle of the lineup which sorely needed a thumping heart.

 

"I know in a very short amount of time he has developed a following that can really only compare to the likes of Jim Thome and Harmon Killebrew,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told the Pioneer Press’s Charley Walters. “[P]eople don't want to miss a Miguel Sano at-bat because you just never know what might happen, and at any given moment, he may hit a home run 500-plus feet. That's a trait very few players have."

 

For the past month we have ooh’d and ahh’d over his moonshots and catwalk clanks. Since August 5th, Sano owns the fourth-highest slugging percentage (.722) and the fifth-lowest out rate (53.7%) among all hitters in that time frame. These are the direct results of Sano’s ability to adjust quickly at the game’s highest level without missing a beat.

 

Here’s the really interesting thing: Whether you noticed it or not, Sano already went through a small hiccup at the plate this year and made the necessary changes on the fly to become this monster masher he has been over the last month.

 

After starting his career hitting .378 with a pair of home runs, he cooled down during a series against Oakland. At that time, Sano stepped on a baseball during warm-ups at the O.co Colisuem and twisted his ankle. Perhaps the combination of teams adjusting to him and the injury played a role over the next 15 game where he hit .184 with a pair of home runs and a few doubles. Nevertheless, by early August, Sano was firing on all cylinders again -- amassing 10 home runs over his next 24 games.

 

Sano has made several changes to his swing since his arrival to Minnesota that have boosted his performance at the plate.

 

http://noontimebaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Sano_1stHR_front.gif

 

http://i.imgur.com/1rnFlZT.gif

 

Sano showed early on that he was extremely adept at hammering pitches that were middle-in and middle-middle. Over the first four home runs he tagged in his career, all were in one of those two zone locations. Teams clearly took note of that.

 

After he began struggling in the Oakland series, he began to tinker a bit with his set-up. Hitting coach Tom Brunansky expressed concern that he was pulling off the ball and Sano seemed to institute several changes at the plate to help combat that. He displayed a stance where he was slightly open on his front leg, holding the bat high and striding inward toward the plate. This stride was likely implemented in order to try to have him stay closed on his swing.

 

http://i.imgur.com/IxJaZOX.gif

 

http://i.imgur.com/dy9eAvt.gif

 

After the Seattle series, Sano made a few more modifications to his stance and his swing. In Toronto, he lowered his hands prior to the gathering process (you will noticed in the previous clips he ended up dropping them when he loaded for his swing) and closed his stance. When hitters are going through funks, hitting coach and instructors often advise hitters to calm everything down for a while. They encourage hitters to reduce as much movement (such as keeping his hands in one spot rather than dropping them from an elevated pre-swing position) and focus on bat to ball.

 

http://i.imgur.com/0Mg1O5F.gif

 

Since then, Sano’s swing has gone through a slight transformation. Once again his hands are held high with noticeable pre-swing motion (creating a rhythm) but rather than toe-tapping to make front-foot contact with the ground before the pitch is released, Sano is lifting with a minor kick and getting that foot down well after the pitch is released -- to the dismay of many of the league’s pitchers including Chicago’s Nate Jones.

 

http://i.imgur.com/JVYgdNa.gif

 

The biggest takeaway from his previous swing and the one currently employed is how efficiently he is loading/gathering before driving toward the ball. In the comparison images below, you see that in the more recent swing [middle and right], Sano is turning his hip inward slightly and staying closed on his front side.

 

http://i.imgur.com/2rBpkSs.png

 

In the earlier model

his hip is square to the pitcher before flying open when he would swing. This version left him less able to drive pitches on the outer-half as well as a man with his size, stature and strength should and could. The new model has allowed him to punish anything that flies from east to west in the strike zone.

 

 

Download attachment: trumedia_baseball_grid (4).png

Download attachment: trumedia_baseball_grid (3).png

Sano’s adjustments at the plate go beyond just the physical swing. When pitchers began to attack the strike zone early in the count in hopes of putting him in a hole right away, Sano countered by taking aggressive swings at the first pitch.

 

When he began his “struggles” in Oakland, pitchers threw in the zone 55.6% of the time to which Sano offered at just 17% of those pitches. Over those 15 games, he accumulated just two first-pitch hits. After incorporating the improved mechanics, Sano has made pitchers pay for trying to sneak a quick strike on him. Since August 5th, he has offered at nearly a quarter of those pitches and has launched five first-pitch home runs. It is remarkable to have a player understand what the opposition is trying to do to him and adjust this quickly.

 

Call it clicking or call it confidence or excellence. Whatever superlative you want to use when describing Miguel Sano at the plate right now is deserved. Sano has found the right swing to maximize his zone coverage and allow for his natural strength to handle anything that finds its way over the plate. This, combined with his competitive comprehension (such as attacking in first-pitch situations) has made him perhaps the most dangerous hitter in baseball at the moment. With just over a month of baseball left to play in the 2015 season, people should be waiting eagerly to see what the big man will do for an encore.

 

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[twinsnorth49]

Wow, awesome comparisons Parker. This guy is just a ridiculous talent, to be able to do what he's done, suffer through an injury and make adjustments like these, all in just over 200 PA's is insane. This guy is a freak.

 

Oh, and thanks for the gif on Nate Jones's reaction, I think I'll watch that for the rest of the day!

[AlwaysinModeration]

Great piece. Maybe this is overblown, but it seems to me that Sano is the type of unique talent who does better against the top level of competition....and that maybe his minor league track record, while good, doesn't do justice to what he is doing and will be able to do against major league pitchers.

[theJemmer]

I wonder how much of the improvement/changes are a result of him adjusting vs the coaching staff being very proactive.  If Bruno, feels like an improvement vs prior years- but maybe just a sense

[Parker Hageman]

I wonder how much of the improvement/changes are a result of him adjusting vs the coaching staff being very proactive.If Bruno, feels like an improvement vs prior years- but maybe just a sense

 

 

One of the beat writers should chase that down. That's a really good question. My guess is that it is a little bit of both. Sano's adjustment in reducing movement (see the Toronto swing) suggests that he was working on something with a coach and not just trying new things. 

 

[Wyorev]

Great stuff Parker! Thanks.

That Slugging % by Zone Location chart made me laugh out loud.

Fun.

[James]

Well done, Parker.  This was a fantastic article.  

 

Sano has just been amazingly fun to watch this year.  Let's hope he continues to hit like this in a Twins uniform for many years to come.  

[nicksaviking]

 

I wonder how much of the improvement/changes are a result of him adjusting vs the coaching staff being very proactive.  If Bruno, feels like an improvement vs prior years- but maybe just a sense

 

It could be some coaching, and it probably is, but it takes a pretty big talent and brain to be able to change on the fly like that. Even for pros, I don't believe a coach can tell a guy that he needs to adjust his swing and he immediately is able to do just that and put up results.  Thus far, there seems to be no need for an adjustment period for the various tinkerings Parker has pointed out.

 

Usually the word Prodigy is used to describe someone with such a rare talent.

[Halsey Hall]

One of the finest articles I've seen on TD!  The video's make it so easy to see the changes.  Just curious as to how you get the insight from Bruno on some of this. 

 

Honestly I'm not surprised by anything Sano does, having watched him since he was 16.  Only disappointed it took another year with his injury.  He takes great pride in both his offense and defense and works very hard to improve both.  In time he will surprise some folks with his ability to man 3rd base also. 

[nytwinsfan]

This is probably a dumb question, but why do some of the zones have 4-4 or 2-4 instead of a slugging %?

 

Also, any thoughts from a mechanical or strike-zone judgment perspective on how he can have such a high BABIP?  I know he won't be able to maintain this, but it does seem like every time he hits the ball it is a line drive or fly ball. He rarely if ever hits grounders or pop ups. Is that part even remotely sustainable?

[halfchest]

Sooo . . at what point does he start realistically pushing Correa for ROY honors?  He's got him by about .150 points in OPS, lets say he keeps it up and hits another 5-6 homers before the end of the season.  I realize he's not playing defense but writers don't seem to factor in defense that much anyhow. 

 

Gotta think he's at least turning some heads as he's been one of the best hitters in the game since his callup. 

[Parker Hageman]

This is probably a dumb question, but why do some of the zones have 4-4 or 2-4 instead of a slugging %?

 

 

I believe the database has a minimum before switching it over to the actual SLG (or whatever stat being highlighted). 

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Great stuff Parker! Thanks.

That Slugging % by Zone Location chart made me laugh out loud.

Fun.

 

That's amazing. He went from crushing pitchers on the inner half at the thighs to crushing pretty much everything from the thighs down!

[jimbo92107]

Great analysis, Parker. It's fascinating how a hip turn of a few inches or a few degrees has such a drastic impact on a hitter's ability to cover more of the strike zone.

 

The other thing I noticed was that along with the increased gather from his hip turn, it allowed Sano to come through farther with his right hip on the follow through, which allowed him to drive his hands farther forward and outward, increasing the carry of the barrel through the zone. That extra carry will translate into more consistent contact and more opposite field power, as well as the ability to pull outside pitches.

 

These small but important changes suggest a combination of coaching and Sano's great confidence in his own abilities. With his cool discipline at the plate and his awesome power, Miguel Sano already must be one of the most intimidating hitters in the league. And he's getting better. Yikes.

[Taildragger8791]

 

Great piece. Maybe this is overblown, but it seems to me that Sano is the type of unique talent who does better against the top level of competition....and that maybe his minor league track record, while good, doesn't do justice to what he is doing and will be able to do against major league pitchers.

 

I remember sometime after his first couple weeks with the big club Sano was asked about hitting MLB pitchers vs. AA pitchers. He said he thought it was actually easier because the MLB pitchers have better control, which made it easier to anticipate where the pitch was going. Being as sharp on the mental side of the game as he is, if he can figure out what the pitcher is trying to do then he can react. Since AA pitchers don't have always have the command to execute like that, there's no telling where the pitch will end up. When you have the incredible talent he has to hit almost any pitch near the zone, it makes some sense. Pretty amazing stuff.

[theJemmer]

Wish they'd have reacted to E Santana's mechanical breakdown earlier.  I saw him throw 28 (!) strikes in a row in his first 3 innings of his opener last season with the Braves and was expecting that all year this year.  Last start hopefully gets him back to the  stud he should be for us.

 

 

It could be some coaching, and it probably is, but it takes a pretty big talent and brain to be able to change on the fly like that. Even for pros, I don't believe a coach can tell a guy that he needs to adjust his swing and he immediately is able to do just that and put up results.  Thus far, there seems to be no need for an adjustment period for the various tinkerings Parker has pointed out.

 

Usually the word Prodigy is used to describe someone with such a rare talent.

 

Edited September 2, 2015 by theJemmer

[Dantes929]

 

Great analysis, Parker. It's fascinating how a hip turn of a few inches or a few degrees has such a drastic impact on a hitter's ability to cover more of the strike zone.

 

The other thing I noticed was that along with the increased gather from his hip turn, it allowed Sano to come through farther with his right hip on the follow through, which allowed him to drive his hands farther forward and outward, increasing the carry of the barrel through the zone. That extra carry will translate into more consistent contact and more opposite field power, as well as the ability to pull outside pitches.

 

A lot of parallels to golf here.   It never ceases to amaze me how just a slight tweak to alignment, grip or just keeping connected can make the difference between shanks or weak slices and effortless power.    When I see power hitters try to pull the ball by opening up too soon or stepping toward the line (bucket) it makes me wonder where the hitting coaches are.      Its akin to trying to stop slicing your drives by opening up your stance and shoulders which just accentuates and causes more slices.    Monreau, Cuccyer, Young, Willingham and Kubel have all been guilty of this in the past.    I have no objection to pulling the ball.    Its TRYING to pull the ball that is the problem.    You can see in the videos that stepping toward the pitcher creates a more centered, balanced and hence more powerful turn of the hips.   A lot like golf. 

[puckstopper1]

I echo the "terrific analysis, Parker" from the above posts.  I love what Sano is doing and hope he keeps it up.  My question/concern is how soon before opposing teams REALLY start pitching around him?  The best thing the Twins can do for Sano is get a solid hitting threat batting after Sano in the line-up.

[nytwinsfan]

Not sure the full significance of this, but seems relevant:

 

[Turd Furgeson]

 

This is probably a dumb question, but why do some of the zones have 4-4 or 2-4 instead of a slugging %?

 

Also, any thoughts from a mechanical or strike-zone judgment perspective on how he can have such a high BABIP?  I know he won't be able to maintain this, but it does seem like every time he hits the ball it is a line drive or fly ball. He rarely if ever hits grounders or pop ups. Is that part even remotely sustainable?

 

You know, the BABIP does seem unsustainable but at the same time his hard hit ball percentage is ridiculous, best in the league, and the only one close is Stanton. He also hits a lot more line drives than Stanton does, MIguel is 8th in the league in line drive rate. I think if he can maintain the really high hard hit ball percentage and the line drive rate I think he has a chance to post a BABIP that we've rarely seen. 

[Turd Furgeson]

 

Sooo . . at what point does he start realistically pushing Correa for ROY honors?  He's got him by about .150 points in OPS, lets say he keeps it up and hits another 5-6 homers before the end of the season.  I realize he's not playing defense but writers don't seem to factor in defense that much anyhow. 

 

Gotta think he's at least turning some heads as he's been one of the best hitters in the game since his callup. 

 

Sano has a higher extrapolated WAR than Correa at this point and that's while being penalized for playing DH. I think Sano deserves some real consideration. 

[hybridbear]

It appears that he has the right attitude toward the game. In the NFL, highly drafted WRs often seem to fail because they have the wrong attitude. They think that because they're highly drafted & very talented that the don't need to work hard. I was concerned about Sano after hearing about his attitude toward BP back in Spring Training & being more interested in hitting HRs in BP than actually working on his hitting skills. It appears that he shows maturity in his attitude & his desire to not just be a hitter who hits an HR or ends up walking back to the bench with a K in every plate appearance.

[nicksaviking]

 

Sooo . . at what point does he start realistically pushing Correa for ROY honors? 

 

When he starts playing SS.  Everyone loves shortstops, I think you get automatic bonus points for the position alone.

[Halsey Hall]

 

A lot of parallels to golf here.   It never ceases to amaze me how just a slight tweak to alignment, grip or just keeping connected can make the difference between shanks or weak slices and effortless power.    When I see power hitters try to pull the ball by opening up too soon or stepping toward the line (bucket) it makes me wonder where the hitting coaches are.      Its akin to trying to stop slicing your drives by opening up your stance and shoulders which just accentuates and causes more slices.    Monreau, Cuccyer, Young, Willingham and Kubel have all been guilty of this in the past.    I have no objection to pulling the ball.    Its TRYING to pull the ball that is the problem.    You can see in the videos that stepping toward the pitcher creates a more centered, balanced and hence more powerful turn of the hips.   A lot like golf. 

This post just messed up my golf game worse than what it was.  My drives go around 220, but 40 yards of that is to the left.  If only I could add that on to the end, straight.  I lost 17 quarters last night playing.  I did get new Hank Haney croc's though. 

[Willihammer]

Jeff Sullivan write up on Sano's mechanical changes and batted ball results.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/miguel-sanos-making-his-first-adjustments/

[Parker Hageman]

 

Jeff Sullivan write up on Sano's mechanical changes and batted ball results.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/miguel-sanos-making-his-first-adjustments/

 

Feels like I've read that analysis somewhere.

 

To be clear, I think Sullivan did a good job on his write-up of Sano. It's often more difficult to analyze these types of changes if you are not following a team on a game-by-game basis so good on him for recognizing Sano's adjustments as well.

[SydneyTwinsFan]

Nice to see Parker's article linked on the main ESPN page by Schoenfield today.  Great article, deserves a wide audience

[Dantes929]

 

This post just messed up my golf game worse than what it was.  My drives go around 220, but 40 yards of that is to the left.  If only I could add that on to the end, straight.  I lost 17 quarters last night playing.  I did get new Hank Haney croc's though. 

lol.   Just about everything messes up my game.   That part about effortless power is not myth but is a little like the Holy Grail.  Difficult to obtain and harder to keep.   Pretty much only happens when my golf pro is watching and disappears as soon as he leaves.   Theory is still good.  

[DaveW]

Fantastic analysys by the way!