Article: The Rise and Fall of Miguel Sano

[Doomtints]

Molitor has been down on him for years. The Me Too situation he created for himself certainly didn't help things. We don't know what the conversations were on that topic between him and management (and the MLB) but we know they weren't good (and we know the conversations went on for a long time).

 

Throw in surgery and a new bionic leg that he can't push off on or run well on anymore, and what have you got?

 

There is little reason to keep him around at this point. He will either bust the rest of the way or he will get a fresh start somewhere else. The Twins may as well try to get something out of it.

[ewen21]

 

 

 

Last year Sano was an All-Star. He overcame Tommy John surgery ahead of schedule.  He overcame the death of a child and played baseball through it.  He excelled playing through the minors.  If he "didn't care" and was "lazy" - he'd have never made it to the expectations we  hold him to.  Perhaps you should consider all those factors as well when you are making assumptions about his character because of his struggles.

Maybe you need to consider that the answer is actually more obvious than you want to think.  It gets silly when people try to over complicate something simple.  You want me to be more sensitive?  I am quite aware of the circumstances Sano has encountered over his career and it all started with Pelotero Ballplayer (which I have seen about ten times).  I don't think I could be more sympathetic to toward this player than I have already been dating back to the day he was drafted.  I think the Twins were doing a terrible job with Latin players during the Gardy and Ryan years and when Sano got suspended in New Britain for that home run trot I was furious.  I defended him like a pit bull and slammed the Twins for their insane overreaction.  Before the year started there was plenty of discussion about Sano and I defended him again.  I even expressed a lack of concern about his weight because I though he was strong enough.  I no longer feel this way because we have hit a tipping point.  I can no longer defend him.

 

Seems as though you are accusing me of not thinking this through and you couldn't be further from the truth.  I have explored a variety excuses in my mind trying to give him the benefit of the doubt for quite some time now and I cannot do that in this scenario because it is as simple as 1-2-3.  Make whatever excuse you want to make for him, but in the five months of off season that he had he went significantly backward and the excuses are just not good enough, sorry.  I understand his daughter died, but that was four years ago.  He played through that back in AA with aplomb, but that was then and this is now.  Are we to assume that there was some exceptional event that prevented him from eating properly and working out to a level that would achieve a reasonable level of fitness?  Seems as though you want me to operate under that assumption. Sorry, not gonna operate under an assumption

 

Everyone goes through times in their life where they need to do some soul searching and Miguel is there on his own volition.  For a professional athlete to let themselves go the way he has is unacceptable.  I defended him when a teammate made comments about him being a "ticking time bomb".  I went off on Plouffe and May for weighing in on the #metoo incident.  This is different.  This is simple and cut and dried.  Over the off season he let himself go and it isn't up to me to come up with the WHY.  I have read people insist that it is genetic or his real problem has to do with mechanics (while the connection to his physical state and its affect on them gets treated like an afterthought).  All of these excuses attempt to take the emphasis away from the fact that he was irresponsible and he let his team down (and himself down).

 

Time for him to act like an adult.  Have fun on the ballfield and style all you want when you hit a HR.  Wear the dreads long and the doo-rag.  Wear war paint if you want, I honestly don't care.  But when it comes to doing your job and personal responsibility cut it out with the excuses.  I don't want to hear the excuses anymore.  This isn't rocket science.  He has five months every off season to work on his body.  If he had a reasonable diet plan (not that hard!) and worked out an hour and a half a day six days a week (also not hard given that is his only baseball responsibility) he would be a lot better off.  Don't give me excuses because you weren't there either. It isn't like you know exactly what impeded him from doing what he needed to do.  He has more control of this situation than what you suggest.  

 

I have been in his corner until now.  Not this time.  This is one area where a player can put his stamp on his career.  He has all the talent in the world and what is he doing with it?  Not much by the looks.

 

The great thing is that this is fixable.  If he comes back next year in excellent shape and a renewed spirit people will get in his corner again.  

[Ncgo4]

I very highly doubt there are any HOF ball players who weighed 300 lbs at 24 years of age. I also doubt a minor league salary will motivate a change in his behavior with the $ millions he has already made.

[TheLeviathan]

 

 

 Over the off season he let himself go and it isn't up to me to come up with the WHY. 

 

Except you are fuming about pushback when there is a "why" suggested.  People are saying he is lazy and just doesn't care.  That is a "why" answer.  

 

People struggle with weight for many reasons, I doubt you'd go down the street pointing at every overweight person and concluding "lazy!"...."doesn't care!"  We can be critical and hold him to account without attacking his character.  The phrasing is simple:

 

"We need Sano to be less lazy and care about helping us"

 

vs.

 

"We need Sano to address what is holding him back so he can help the team"

 

The former is a personal attack.  The latter is totally fair.

[Major League Ready]

 

people have used phrases like lazy and doesn't care....among other things. I think that's the part that some of us push back on. 

Mike, any professional has job demands that require preparation. When a non-athlete professional does not bother to prepare when ample time has been provided, the people accountable for the the organization are going to conclude that their level of commitment is not adequate. In this case, the demand is to eat healthy and exercise. Compared to what many of us need to do in preparation this is a absolute walk in the park and he had 5 months to do it. 

 

If there are medical reasons Sano that make it difficult to drop the weight that's a different issue but it's seems a very reasonable assumption the media would have reported it. So, what reasons other than he did not care enough to get in shape are reasonable alternatives?

[ewen21]

 

Except you are fuming about pushback when there is a "why" suggested.  People are saying he is lazy and just doesn't care.  That is a "why" answer.  

 

People struggle with weight for many reasons, I doubt you'd go down the street pointing at every overweight person and concluding "lazy!"...."doesn't care!"  We can be critical and hold him to account without attacking his character.  The phrasing is simple:

 

"We need Sano to be less lazy and care about helping us"

 

vs.

 

"We need Sano to address what is holding him back so he can help the team"

 

The former is a personal attack.  The latter is totally fair.

Who cares?

 

That is what you think and feel.

 

Mike, any professional has job demands that require preparation. When a non-athlete professional does not bother to prepare when ample time has been provided, the people accountable for the the organization are going to conclude that their level of commitment is not adequate. In this case, the demand is to eat healthy and exercise. Compared to what many of us need to do in preparation this is a absolute walk in the park and he had 5 months to do it. 

 

If there are medical reasons Sano that make it difficult to drop the weight that's a different issue but it's seems a very reasonable assumption the media would have reported it. So, what reasons other than he did not care enough to get in shape are reasonable alternatives?

That is what I am saying.  If anyone thinks it is an assumption that he didn't work hard enough because he didn't care enough they are going to have to give me something concrete as to what else could have impeded him, otherwise they are making assumptions themselves.

 

This is simple stuff.  People don't fall into a situation like Miguel is in without being neglectful, irresponsible and far to sedentary.  This idea that "you really don't know what he was doing" is ridiculous to me.  I know when he came into camp the Twins and the media remarked immediately on his appearance.  I know I reserved judgment until I saw him because there have been criticisms about his weight before and I did not think it was a big problem.  That changed when I saw him this year for the first time.  This is a guy that had microfracture surgery and for him to gain weight rather than rip down (not asking much, 10 or 15 pounds) is a terrible job by him.

 

 

 

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Maybe you need to consider that the answer is actually more obvious than you want to think. It gets silly when people try to over complicate something simple. You want me to be more sensitive? I am quite aware of the circumstances Sano has encountered over his career and it all started with Pelotero Ballplayer (which I have seen about ten times). I don't think I could be more sympathetic to toward this player than I have already been dating back to the day he was drafted. I think the Twins were doing a terrible job with Latin players during the Gardy and Ryan years and when Sano got suspended in New Britain for that home run trot I was furious. I defended him like a pit bull and slammed the Twins for their insane overreaction. Before the year started there was plenty of discussion about Sano and I defended him again. I even expressed a lack of concern about his weight because I though he was strong enough. I no longer feel this way because we have hit a tipping point. I can no longer defend him.

 

Seems as though you are accusing me of not thinking this through and you couldn't be further from the truth. I have explored a variety excuses in my mind trying to give him the benefit of the doubt for quite some time now and I cannot do that in this scenario because it is as simple as 1-2-3. Make whatever excuse you want to make for him, but in the five months of off season that he had he went significantly backward and the excuses are just not good enough, sorry. I understand his daughter died, but that was four years ago. He played through that back in AA with aplomb, but that was then and this is now. Are we to assume that there was some exceptional event that prevented him from eating properly and working out to a level that would achieve a reasonable level of fitness? Seems as though you want me to operate under that assumption. Sorry, not gonna operate under an assumption

 

Everyone goes through times in their life where they need to do some soul searching and Miguel is there on his own volition. For a professional athlete to let themselves go the way he has is unacceptable. I defended him when a teammate made comments about him being a "ticking time bomb". I went off on Plouffe and May for weighing in on the #metoo incident. This is different. This is simple and cut and dried. Over the off season he let himself go and it isn't up to me to come up with the WHY. I have read people insist that it is genetic or his real problem has to do with mechanics (while the connection to his physical state and its affect on them gets treated like an afterthought). All of these excuses attempt to take the emphasis away from the fact that he was irresponsible and he let his team down (and himself down).

 

Time for him to act like an adult. Have fun on the ballfield and style all you want when you hit a HR. Wear the dreads long and the doo-rag. Wear war paint if you want, I honestly don't care. But when it comes to doing your job and personal responsibility cut it out with the excuses. I don't want to hear the excuses anymore. This isn't rocket science. He has five months every off season to work on his body. If he had a reasonable diet plan (not that hard!) and worked out an hour and a half a day six days a week (also not hard given that is his only baseball responsibility) he would be a lot better off. Don't give me excuses because you weren't there either. It isn't like you know exactly what impeded him from doing what he needed to do. He has more control of this situation than what you suggest.

 

I have been in his corner until now. Not this time. This is one area where a player can put his stamp on his career. He has all the talent in the world and what is he doing with it? Not much by the looks.

 

The great thing is that this is fixable. If he comes back next year in excellent shape and a renewed spirit people will get in his corner again.

I think you are on to something here.

 

http://m.startribune.com/twins-send-miguel-sano-to-minors-after-loss-to-tigers/485595781/

 

I characterize Sano going to A+ ball as a resset. I imagine the conversation with Sano to have been “Look Miguel, you are extremely important to the organization and I’m not sure where things got off course, but we need to correct course. We can get you the best support in Ft Myers so you can get your strength in your legs back and your swing mechanics back in alignment”

 

Falvey describes it as a reset, and I think it’s a reset from how Sano was managed by the old regime to how he will be managed going forward.

 

I’m still in Sano’s corner despite my feelings about the offseason allegations. My hope for this young man is that 2017-2018 is a period that he can learn and grow from, and come out on the backside a better person and better player.

 

It’s really difficult to make that kind of transformation without support and personal conviction. I think Sano has the personal conviction part. No one gets to the MLB without it. It appears that the support part from the Twins is changing and I think (hope) for the better.

[ewen21]

 

I think you are on to something here.

http://m.startribune.com/twins-send-miguel-sano-to-minors-after-loss-to-tigers/485595781/

I characterize Sano going to A+ ball as a resset. I imagine the conversation with Sano to have been “Look Miguel, you are extremely important to the organization and I’m not sure where things got off course, but we need to correct course. We can get you the best support in Ft Myers so you can get your strength in your legs back and your swing mechanics back in alignment”

Falvey describes it as a reset, and I think it’s a reset from how Sano was managed by the old regime to how he will be managed going forward.

I’m still in Sano’s corner despite my feelings about the offseason allegations. My hope for this young man is that 2017-2018 is a period that he can learn and grow from, and come out on the backside a better person and better player.

It’s really difficult to make that kind of transformation without support and personal conviction. I think Sano has the personal conviction part. No one gets to the MLB without it. It appears that the support part from the Twins is changing and I think (hope) for the better.

Let's call a circle a circle and a square a square.  He messed up this off season and there is no way around it.  Doesn't make him a bad person.  When I was his age I was a college dropout.  Dropped out after my Junior year and damn near lost my mind for about six months.  It took me almost a full year for me to get past whatever it was that caused me to struggle, but it was ALL ON ME and I pulled it together.  Far be it from me to turn on this kid. I am not saying he is a terrible person or saying anything controversial by questioning his work ethic.  It needs to be questioned because of where he is at.

 

If there is some kind of compelling issue that impeded him from preparing for a season post microfracture surgery, I haven't heard of it.  I have to simply take it on its face, and again....this is fixable.  If he can push through this year and show some life, then come into camp next year refreshed and in good condition a lot of people will give him a mulligan.

[ewen21]

An update:

http://www.1500espn.com/twins-2/2018/06/derek-falvey-progress-byron-buxton-miguel-sano-jorge-polanco/

In five games with the Miracle, Sano’s hitting .250/.400/.300 with seven strikeouts and five walks in 25 plate appearances. The slugger was sent to the Twins’ complex in Florida to work on both his conditioning and pitch recognition. In a small sample size, the strikeouts are still high, but Falvey said his conditioning has improved since arriving two weeks ago.

“We talked about the holistic plan around Miguel,” he said. “The conditioning has gotten better and better. He’s lost weight, done a good job. It’s not just the weight number, we want to make sure he’s strong. We’ve seen some things from an offensive standpoint in terms of adjustments. He’s progressing.”

 

In two weeks his conditioning improved.  As I said yesterday, he could have done nothing until New Year's Day and still come into camp in shape.  If committed, given all the resources and time he had, it should have been a slam dunk.  Even if he did nothing until New Year's Day!

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Let's call a circle a circle and a square a square. He messed up this off season and there is no way around it. Doesn't make him a bad person. When I was his age I was a college dropout. Dropped out after my Junior year and damn near lost my mind for about six months. It took me almost a full year for me to get past whatever it was that caused me to struggle, but it was ALL ON ME and I pulled it together. Far be it from me to turn on this kid. I am not saying he is a terrible person or saying anything controversial by questioning his work ethic. It needs to be questioned because of where he is at.

 

If there is some kind of compelling issue that impeded him from preparing for a season post microfracture surgery, I haven't heard of it. I have to simply take it on its face, and again....this is fixable. If he can push through this year and show some life, then come into camp next year refreshed and in good condition a lot of people will give him a mulligan.

agreed.

 

Speculatively, this could also be Falvey admitting that the organization is still a bit too hands off when it comes to developing players that are already major leaguers.

 

Gardy used to whine about minor leaguers coming up unprepared for the bigs, the last few years of his tenure were a complete joke in terms of fundamentally sound baseball.

 

Molitor’s teams are currently no better in terms of fundamentally sound baseball.

 

It’s on the individuals to put in the work, but...

 

It’s also on the organization to put its players in the best position to succeed. That’s systematic consistency, and it’s still not clear to me that it’s in place.

 

I think real organizational change is currently in process.

 

Again, what do I know? This could all be more of the same and we’ll never see the Twins develop another star ever again....

[diehardtwinsfan]

Probably worth noting that his OPS is north of .900 right now in A ball. Yes, he's still walking too little and striking out too much. No idea how his conditioning is, but at the moment, the bat is getting some results and he appears (scouting box scores at least) to be righting the ship.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Probably worth noting that his OPS is north of .900 right now in A ball. Yes, he's still walking too little and striking out too much. No idea how his conditioning is, but at the moment, the bat is getting some results and he appears (scouting box scores at least) to be righting the ship.

Only 2 XBH, for a .095 ISO. Did they tell him just to stop at first base on every hit?

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Only 2 XBH, for a .095 ISO. Did they tell him just to stop at first base on every hit?

 

He was too winded after rounding 1st base

 

 

/ducks

 

 

[ewen21]

I first want to say Nick is probably my favorite writer here I must point something out, as it addresses an ongoing theme here.  While Nick (and many others) feel bothered when a player's "character is questioned" and found Souhan and Ruesse's comments to be "irksome" he did add:

no one can deny that the grievances aired through Reusse and Souhan appear valid in retrospect.

 

​​In other words, observations about players weaknesses and problems should not be pounded on so hard here.  So many times I felt people (and some mods) came down on posters way too hard for their observations about a player's weakness.  In the case of Sano his weight was a big area of concern right off the bat last year.  The blowback against those who said he was too lazy was far too much.   A 20something year old doesn't get fat without engaging in gluttonous behavior.  We are not talking about a software designer or a CPA here.  This is a pro-athlete and he needs to be held to a higher standard. For him to get to where he was he was too lazy.  Period.

 

Whether it was lazy in his thought process, lazy in attention to details with regard to diet, lazy on the offseason training or all of it......he was LAZY.

It's not a nice thing to say, but it is a fact.  He needs to wake the heck up and pay attention.

 

I would also suggest that people not come down so hard on player criticisms here.  A lot of the criticism I read about Sano last winter/early spring was spot on and yet it was getting ripped very hard by a vocal minority who couldn't have people "questioning a player's character"

It became utterly absurd and it drowned out some very valid concerns posted by people who made a lot of sense.

[ewen21]

 

He was too winded after rounding 1st base

 

 

/ducks

This is what I mean.  Why would you have to duck for making a soft tongue-in-cheek dig like that?

[rdehring]

Well the above comments will certainly get some attention.  And not much that I can disagree with.  

 

But fast forward to today and all indications are that Sano is working hard this winter.  Expect we will all learn if that is truthful when some of you see him when he reports to Fort Myers in mid-to-late February.  

 

Personally, I hope that Nick can rename this article this spring...to something like "the Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Miguel Sano."  Come on big guy, put the work in and make us smile!

Edited January 5, 2019 by rdehring

[ewen21]

 

Well the above comments will certainly get some attention.  And not much that I can disagree with.  

 

But fast forward to today and all indications are that Sano is working hard this winter.  Expect we will all learn if that is truthful when some of you see him when he reports to Fort Myers in mid-to-late February.  

 

Personally, I hope that Nick can rename this article this spring...to something like "the Rise, Fall and Resurrection of Miguel Sano."  Come on big guy, put the work in and make us smile!

I will absolutely comment on the positive gains if such gains are made.  I am not on an anti-Sano crusade nor do I think were the others who ripped him.  I, personally, have been a fan of his ever since I saw the documentary Pelotero Ballplayer.  It gave an in-depth look at how hard it is for Dominican players to chase their dream.  I cannot define him as LAZY after seeing that and gaining an understanding of what he went through.  I have no problem, however, saying he BECAME lazy.  I know I have at various stages of my life.  It happens.  EVERYONE needs to acknowledge their shortcomings if they want to succeed.  Not sure how anyone can say his conditioning was at an acceptable standard last spring.

 

The good news is this isn't something that has to always be this way.  He CAN fix it and the critics can move on from it.

[DrNeau]

I would also suggest that people not come down so hard on player criticisms here. A lot of the criticism I read about Sano last winter/early spring was spot on and yet it was getting ripped very hard by a vocal minority who couldn't have people "questioning a player's character"

Amen. But yet, simultaneously, criticisms of the entire organization’s judgment/ethics appear to be acceptable... to say that a factor in the Twins’ treatment of Sano (forcing him to regularly submit video workouts) may have been due to his race.

[DrNeau]

Sano had a miserable year. Still, as in with any player, I will root for him and want to see him succeed. Hope Cruz comes in and shows these boys how to be a professional - both on the field and off of it. Sad that our team has been in such a state where we have to hire a new manager to come in and build a culture and a guy like Cruz to come in and show how it’s done. I’m not saying these things are not great... they are great. Just can’t believe the organization has gone this long without accountability. Additionally, it’s just alarming our team needs guys to come in from elsewhere to come in and show them how to play the game and be successful. They appeared to have no clue as to how to do that last year. It’s like we have no foundation or core on this team at all. That is totally wack. Hope they can accomplish building this culture and having some success.

Edited January 5, 2019 by DrNeau

[ewen21]

The notion that we have been looking for "leadership" for so long really is troubling. We cannot seem to raise enough players who are self-aware and have discipline.

[DrNeau]

What do I have to do to adequately prepare myself for the season? What do I have to do to improve my performance? What do I have to do to stay healthy? What do I have to do when other players are mailing it in? What do I do when the organization makes a decision that is not immediately in my favor? Do I tell anyone if I am suffering for an injury, or do I let it go by for literally years before I mention it? Who do I alert when I have an injury, the team or the media?

 

These are not “brain-buster” questions; I’m fact, there are simple answers. Hopefully the forthcoming “culture” will instill the answers to these questions deep into this team’s minds and hearts.

Edited January 5, 2019 by DrNeau

[Twodogs]

My only thing when I see stuff, and I criticize also, but before I post one I try to read it and see if it can be taken as sort of a light hearted joke or if I can complement something at the same time that I am criticizing something. But my point is that these players are people too, so my only thing is try to remember that when you post, someday it may be your kid or relative that is being lambasted for making a bad play or whatnot and it will make you feel sick to see a bunch of people post hatred towards your loved one. Back before the internet became the norm most articles were written and read in the newspaper, and some of those columnists would criticize players or coaches and whatnot, but I really believe that they were sort of careful of what they said because they needed to have a relationship with the team and players in order to continue to do their job. People on these boards have no one that they need to keep a relationship with so often times they just let the negativity fly. I'd say we as people need to view these guys also as people before we get too harsh. Don't get me wrong they throw the ball into the dugout from 2B and we the people will be critical about that and how it may have affected the game, but I'm pretty sure any player would understand that. What I'm saying is that we need to watch it and not get personal with those guys and the team we all cheer for.

 

And to think this is the Twins board, imagine what those guys over in Philly probably have to see on their boards. Ha ha. So our guys probably have it a little easier than other places: Philly, New York, Boston etc... Thats the only thing that I'd add to this story.

 

I remember how critical everyone got with Rosario a couple years back. I thought that was crazy, beyond baseball a lot of these guys are just good people doing their best. So be critical, but I always say just don't make it personal, where we are criticizing a person's character and being extra harsh and whatnot.

Edited January 6, 2019 by Twodogs

[Twodogs]

In the long run we all hope Sano hits .270 - .280 and mashes 30 bombs. I keep wishing the Twins will get back to the World Series!!!

[bird]

 

Well, there obviously is some problem/concern on the Twins part or Sano would not have been sent down to Class A ball. Twins know far more than anyone on here. I hope he finds whatever is missing, that has held back his success. 

 

 

I thought they made it quite clear that fitness was one of the things they wanted to help Sano address, and therefore they wanted him at the best facility for helping him address this. It wasn't a form of punishment, and monitoring his workouts vis video is not a sign of distrust either. 

 

I wish people would take care to limit criticism to known behaviors, and behaviors that are clearly worthy of scrutiny. And then, lay off the character-based conclusions based on that behavior that you can't clearly prove. I get annoyed more than anything else around here by unfairness and harshness. 

 

So yeah, criticize abusers, be outraged when Delmon Young accosts innocent people in Manhattan in a clear act of hatred, criticize Sano for harassing female ushers in Chattanooga. But don't talk about Kirilloff being home schooled like you know that's going to be a performance problem, or say that Gordon's rap music hobby is a sure sign of his lack of dedication, or conclude something from one fairly innocuous comment from a player or a GM or an owner or a manager. Cut people slack.

 

As for Sano, I choose to take those close to the situation at their word, and that includes Sano. The proof will be in the advanced metrics. I'm optimistic about both he and Buxton. I don't know which one, but I'm wagering that one of the two has an absolutely monster 2019 and that the other one is better than average at their position on the field and in the lineup.

[Riverbrian]

 

My only thing when I see stuff, and I criticize also, but before I post one I try to read it and see if it can be taken as sort of a light hearted joke or if I can complement something at the same time that I am criticizing something. But my point is that these players are people too, so my only thing is try to remember that when you post, someday it may be your kid or relative that is being lambasted for making a bad play or whatnot and it will make you feel sick to see a bunch of people post hatred towards your loved one. Back before the internet became the norm most articles were written and read in the newspaper, and some of those columnists would criticize players or coaches and whatnot, but I really believe that they were sort of careful of what they said because they needed to have a relationship with the team and players in order to continue to do their job. People on these boards have no one that they need to keep a relationship with so often times they just let the negativity fly. I'd say we as people need to view these guys also as people before we get too harsh. Don't get me wrong they throw the ball into the dugout from 2B and we the people will be critical about that and how it may have affected the game, but I'm pretty sure any player would understand that. What I'm saying is that we need to watch it and not get personal with those guys and the team we all cheer for.

And to think this is the Twins board, imagine what those guys over in Philly probably have to see on their boards. Ha ha. So our guys probably have it a little easier than other places: Philly, New York, Boston etc... Thats the only thing that I'd add to this story.

I remember how critical everyone got with Rosario a couple years back. I thought that was crazy, beyond baseball a lot of these guys are just good people doing their best. So be critical, but I always say just don't make it personal, where we are criticizing a person's character and being extra harsh and whatnot.

 

Well said. 

[DrNeau]

 

So yeah, criticize abusers, be outraged when Delmon Young accosts innocent people in Manhattan in a clear act of hatred, criticize Sano for harassing female ushers in Chattanooga. But don't talk about Kirilloff being home schooled like you know that's going to be a performance problem, or say that Gordon's rap music hobby is a sure sign of his lack of dedication, or conclude something from one fairly innocuous comment from a player or a GM or an owner or a manager. Cut people slack.

 

Was there any evidence of this which was not anecdotal? I know there was a report from Jeff Passan which said Sano chased women "like it was sport". The specific item you cited, however, was testimony of Sano harassing someone - brought forward by someone on Twitter, correct? Is there any way to verify this person's claim? Is it accurate? Is the person credible? Is there any evidence they were actually there? I understand you wish to cut people slack, so I thought I'd ask. 

 

Regarding the fall of Sano... the guy had a titanium rod surgically implanted in his leg during the off-season, hindering his preparation considerably, then went on to have a terrible year. It was pitiful to watch. I remember watching last Opening Day with excitement and he went like 0-5 and sucked all year. That being said, he has been an All-Star, has 84 MLB HR, and is still only 25. Hoping to see a rebound year. 

[ewen21]

 

Was there any evidence of this which was not anecdotal? I know there was a report from Jeff Passan which said Sano chased women "like it was sport". The specific item you cited, however, was testimony of Sano harassing someone - brought forward by someone on Twitter, correct? Is there any way to verify this person's claim? Is it accurate? Is the person credible? Is there any evidence they were actually there? I understand you wish to cut people slack, so I thought I'd ask. 

 

Regarding the fall of Sano... the guy had a titanium rod surgically implanted in his leg during the off-season, hindering his preparation considerably, then went on to have a terrible year. It was pitiful to watch. I remember watching last Opening Day with excitement and he went like 0-5 and sucked all year. That being said, he has been an All-Star, has 84 MLB HR, and is still only 25. Hoping to see a rebound year. 

I am criticizing Sano for something plain as day (his conditioning).  This other thing about the usher sounds a like "baseless claim".  Or is it?

 

I have no idea.  

Edited January 9, 2019 by ewen21

[ewen21]

It is fairly easy to note that Sano looks quite different from the guy he was last year at this time in that picture with Baldelli.  I am hoping that it's not just lost weight and that he's maintained his strength.  I have seen many lose weight the wrong way only to become weaker.  Hopefully he's lost weight the right way.  I am guessing he has.

[DrNeau]

I am criticizing Sano for something plain as day (his conditioning). This other thing about the usher sounds a like "baseless claim". Or is it?

 

I have no idea.

Who does know? Anyone? That is why I question why the Chattanooga harassment accusation is referenced on this board as if it were fact.

[DrNeau]

Well... I guess there is no evidence to support that claim. Otherwise, it would have likely been brought forth by now. 

Edited January 11, 2019 by DrNeau