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Article: The Latest On Miguel Sano's Outfield Transition

Parker Hageman
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Parker Hageman All-Star

Parker Hageman

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This offseason has been an interesting adventure for Miguel Sano’s positional career path.

 

At Torii Hunter’s retirement press conference, manager Paul Molitor revealed that the organization wanted to have Sano transition to an outfield position in order to accommodate for Trevor Plouffe remaining at third while allowing the DH position to remain open (which would eventually go to free agent signee Byung-Ho Park). The Twins stated that they wanted Sano to take some reps in the outfield during his winter ball season. Shortly thereafter, Sano told Dominican reporters that he would not see actual playing time in the outfield, just shag balls during batting practice. And not long after that, Sano informed his Dominican League team that he was asked by the Twins to stop playing. Meanwhile, Twins GM Terry Ryan refuted that claim, saying it was Sano’s decision.

 

Regardless of whose decision it was to stop, Sano has not been playing in games since the beginning of December. Where is he in terms of outfield preparation?At the Winter Meetings Molitor said that the Twins would be working hard to convert the infielder into a corner outfielder. “We have to develop a little urgency here,” Molitor told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, “not just ‘Let’s see how this thing goes.’” Molitor also added that Sano’s conditioning would be monitored to ensure that the 22-year-old would be in the necessary physical condition to play that position.

 

Since then nearly a month has passed without Sano’s presence in Fort Myers. Oswaldo Arcia, on the other hand, has been a fixture at the team’s camp since November, reported KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, and the team’s officials have been impressed with his training process. Wolfson also checked in with the organization to see what the status was for Sano’s transition. His sources told him that they estimate he will be at Fort Myers sometime by the end of January.

 

What has Sano been doing since his departure from his winter league team? According to reporter Juan Carlos Severino, Sano has been working out at the team’s Dominican Republic academy facilities in Boca Chica, putting in six hours of work each day from 6 AM to 12 PM. Sano told Severino that he wanted to continue to play winter ball but he and the team made a mutual decision to focus on his conditioning and outfield play. Although the emphasis has been on learning the new position, Sano said that he was still taking reps at third base because “you never know if they are going to need one.”

 

While Molitor stressed the need for urgency when it comes to preparing a player for a new position, there seems to be a distinct lack of that given that the season is a little over two months away and nary a word has come out on his offseason development.

 

You have to wonder how invested the Twins are in this position change.

 

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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

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I would say getting him to put in 6 hours a day is pretty invested (even though not all 6 hours are dedicated to OF play). 

 

The team also has no responsibility to let the media and fans know anything about how the transition is going. 

 

Agreed, and you can't spend 6 hours taking fly balls, so I'm glad to hear that he's also still working at third base. 

 

And 6 a.m. is crazy!

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USAFChief Cooperstown

USAFChief

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The team also has no responsibility to let the media and fans know anything about how the transition is going.

 

No, but it seems to me they sometimes go to concerted lengths to dampen fan enthusiasm.

 

"We're closed for the winter. Call us about tickets in April" is A strategy, I'm not convinced its a good one.

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brvama Draft Eligible

brvama

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No, but it seems to me they sometimes go to concerted lengths to dampen fan enthusiasm.

"We're closed for the winter. Call us about tickets in April" is A strategy, I'm not convinced its a good one.

Chief, I have to agree.  When it comes to the FO, I can give them a pass on the lack of information much of the time, especially with possible trades or signings.  But when it comes to the ball club, I think this lack of information is disheartening and frustrating.  One would think that the Twins would want to promote their team during the off-season generating interest and anticipation for the upcoming season.  I don't understand why updates about player activities should be so hard to come by.  Either they need a better PR department that knows how and wants to promote their product, (which should come from the club president) or we need better sports reporters that ask these questions.  Maybe both are needed.

 

Good grief, it's bitterly cold here, can't we get some tidbits of news that brings our thoughts to spring and summer baseball?  This certainly isn't classified information.

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theJemmer Prep Ball

theJemmer

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This whole thing just smells bad. We have a young guy, previously rated in the top 5 prospects in MILB, just starting to mash, and we're going to change his defensive position. He already carries 2 gloves, let's add a third. ... Give Sano 3rd and move Plouffe around.

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Molitor4 Prep Ball

Molitor4

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I'm not very excited about the idea of Sano playing in the OF.  However, it's fair to note that Harmon Killebrew played some LF early in his career.  Also, Willie Stargell player A LOT of LF for the Pirates in the 60's and 70's.  Frank Howard played RF for the Dodgers and some LF for the Senators.  In other words, there is a LONG list of guys who were not speed demons who have played the outfield.  In fact, Stargell's center-fielder was Matty Alou, a decent, but not great CF'er.  Howard had Willie Davis (a tremendous CF'er able to cover a lot of ground).  Again, I'm not thrilled with the idea, but if Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario are out there with Sano, it could work.

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jimmer Wichita Wind Surge

jimmer

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'I'm not very excited about the idea of Sano playing in the OF.  However, it's fair to note that Harmon Killebrew played some LF early in his career.  Also, Willie Stargell player A LOT of LF for the Pirates in the 60's and 70's. ...'

 

It's also fair to note the plethora of big people who couldn't play OF. Names most don't know cause they couldn't cut it.  Pointing out a handful of big people who did play OF in the history of the game, some way back, only emphasizes how rare it is, not how common.  Kind of like when people point to Randy Johnson when talking about Meyer.

 

And how big was Killebrew when he played OF?  His profile at BR says 6 foot, 195 pounds. I'm guessing he stopped playing OF as he got bigger since he stopped playing OF after his age 30 year.  Stargell listed at 6 foot 2, 188.

 

Sano is much bigger than those two already.

Edited by jimmer
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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

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I guess I don't get it... 

Per that article, he's working 6 hours a day at the Twins facility in the Dominican. They Twins have staff there and can monitor it. He can do the same drills there as he can in Ft. Myers.

 

Do we want or need some sort of hour-by-hour breakdown of what he's doing?

 

I guess I don't need to know the specifics. Having been the spring training in recent years, I know some of the fundamentals they do there with outfielders. These aren't things you would spend six hours a day on... If he's working on outfield drills for an hour a day... Shagging in the outfield for an hour a day. Hitting for an hour a day. Work at 3B for an hour a day. Conditioning/Lifting for an hour or two a day. That's a pretty busy, effective day. 

 

I guess I don't know what more the PR department is supposed to tell us.

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USAFChief Cooperstown

USAFChief

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I guess I don't get it... 

Per that article, he's working 6 hours a day at the Twins facility in the Dominican. They Twins have staff there and can monitor it. He can do the same drills there as he can in Ft. Myers.

 

Do we want or need some sort of hour-by-hour breakdown of what he's doing?

 

I guess I don't need to know the specifics. Having been the spring training in recent years, I know some of the fundamentals they do there with outfielders. These aren't things you would spend six hours a day on... If he's working on outfield drills for an hour a day... Shagging in the outfield for an hour a day. Hitting for an hour a day. Work at 3B for an hour a day. Conditioning/Lifting for an hour or two a day. That's a pretty busy, effective day. 

 

I guess I don't know what more the PR department is supposed to tell us.

By "that article," I presume you mean the Spanish language one in something called El Nuevo Diario.

 

I also presume that isn't the work of the PR department.

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stringer bell MVP

stringer bell

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I was going to make this point elsewhere, but if Sano starts the season in the outfield, I doubt he plays more than a handful of games at third base. If he is a regular outfielder, they will keep him there (I think) and not move him about like a utility player. That has been the clear plan in the past and actually continuity is better than playing him in the OF three days, DHing him two and playing third for the other game. Of course, an injury to either of the corner guys or the DH would render this point null and void.

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DuluthFan College Ball

DuluthFan

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Doesn't Miguel Sano live in the Dominican Republic? This is the off season is it not? Can he not go home during the off season? Why do we need to know what he is doing? It's the offseason.

 

There is no one following around Escobar or Santana this off season. What about Mauer, Suzuki or Dozier? What are they doing? It's none of our business! They can all do whatever they want to do. As long as they report to spring training ready to play, how they prepare themselves, and how they communicate with the public during their time off is up to them.

 

 

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jimmer Wichita Wind Surge

jimmer

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Doesn't Miguel Sano live in the Dominican Republic? This is the off season is it not? Can he not go home during the off season? Why do we need to know what he is doing? It's the offseason.

 

There is no one following around Escobar or Santana this off season. What about Mauer, Suzuki or Dozier? What are they doing? It's none of our business! They can all do whatever they want to do. As long as they report to spring training ready to play, how they prepare themselves, and how they communicate with the public during their time off is up to them.

That's a nice theory, but being a professional baseball player is pretty much a full time job. IMO, getting into/staying in shape should be a priority for professional athletes.  For a guy who was almost 270 LBs at the end of last season,and is now supposedly moving to the OF, it's not out of line to wonder how his offseason is progressing.

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old nurse GCL Twins

old nurse

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I guess I don't get it... 

Per that article, he's working 6 hours a day at the Twins facility in the Dominican. They Twins have staff there and can monitor it. He can do the same drills there as he can in Ft. Myers.

 

Do we want or need some sort of hour-by-hour breakdown of what he's doing?

 

I guess I don't need to know the specifics. Having been the spring training in recent years, I know some of the fundamentals they do there with outfielders. These aren't things you would spend six hours a day on... If he's working on outfield drills for an hour a day... Shagging in the outfield for an hour a day. Hitting for an hour a day. Work at 3B for an hour a day. Conditioning/Lifting for an hour or two a day. That's a pretty busy, effective day. 

 

I guess I don't know what more the PR department is supposed to tell us.

A Sano-cam and a web page so these people can watch?

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nicksaviking All-Star

nicksaviking

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I have been skeptical this whole time. It never made sense. This is a leverage based move. I think Plouffe is moved within 60 days.

Yeah this bizarre situation makes most sense if the team is still planning on a trade.

 

I might guess the Twins had ideas of trading Plouffe but for everyone's sake, including Plouffe's peace of mind, they meant to suggest Sano could play OF. Now Plouffe couldn't be traded for good value and the team seems stuck. I wouldn't be surprised if the team truly doesn't know how they are going manage this current situation.

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tobi0040 Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

tobi0040

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Yeah this bizarre situation makes most sense if the team is still planning on a trade.

 

I might guess the Twins had ideas of trading Plouffe but for everyone's sake, including Plouffe's peace of mind, they meant to suggest Sano could play OF. Now Plouffe couldn't be traded for good value and the team seems stuck. I wouldn't be surprised if the team truly doesn't know how they are going manage this current situation.

My guess is Much like the Johan trade, we had it lined up for a long time but we're not thrilled with the return and we're hoping for something better. When better doesn't arrive we take it.

 

I know that we had a different GM but I think that is what is going on.

 

The Twins have arguably more money and time invested in Sano than anyone ever. So I don't think you take this 16 year old in 2009 and then after 6-7 years at 3b and not a single rep in the OF you hand him and OF glove on opening day at 22.

 

It would also make sense if the Plouffe trade revolves around a reliever. We haven't done much on that front this offseason

Edited by tobi0040
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