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Potentially huge claim. Some say he’s the next David Ortiz.

I'm glad this heated topic has a conclusion. Of course not all are going to agree with it, but the MLB did its due diligence and here we are. Thank God Twitter isn't a judge, jury, and executioner. Because Sano would have been burned at the stake back in December.

What is there to protest though? A girl made an accusation on social media, there was zero proof, MLB did a thorough investigation (and let's be clear, do you think if MLB THOUGHT that this happened or even was a decent chance of have happened they WOULDN'T have suspended Sano?) and they found zero evidence. Additionally there were never any criminal charges filed. I'm all for the #metoo movement, but protesting a guy where there was literally zero evidence and zero pattern of behavior is just silly and honestly hurts the movement as a whole.

Hehe, here is Kennys' profile pic on MLB.com. Short lived. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/players/head_shot/573627.jpg probably photoshopped. Reminds of of collecting baseball cards as a kid, and sometimes players would change teams too late to get a pic, so they would paint them:

I'm just celebrating the fact that he will be in the lineup ... Way to try to put the worst possible spin on something But since I'm now demonized and could care less, I'll take it a step further and add that I'm celebrating the fact that our society has yet to fully hand Twitter a gavel.

A helpful reminder...In situations like this, there are no winners or losers, just conclusions. Celebrating or defaming either party is not productive and only looks poor for yourself. With that said, I look forward to hopefully seeing a full season's worth of contributions from Sano.

Hard to pick a more appropriate moment to close this thread to further comments.

Throwing the (former) first base coach's (superfluous) alleged behavior towards her into her allegations against Sano- was an immediate red flag to me- and it didn't seem to have helped her case with MLB, or to the basic right to the presumption of innocence inherent in our legal system. Weinstein, Cosby, et al are being justifiably taken down because victims have bravely pursued legal recourse and remedy- that apparently hasn't come close to happening in this case. I'll be the first to condemn Sano if and when charges are filed and the legal system can make a credible case against him.

I hope that the lady that made the accusation is ok and dealing with the original incident as well as the ruling ok. This ruling does not mean it didn't happen. I feel bad for her. She needs to know that people believe in her and understand.

I don't know if I'd say this "great" news... Or bad news. It's just news. I still feel incredibly itchy and uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Good point! The MLB uses several of the top legal minds, lawyers etc, and by all accounts it was very thorough (they interviewed over 20 people) I applaud the MLB for doing a thorough investigation and putting this matter to bed for once and for all. Re: Sano in the lineup, I hope he has 45 HR and this is a huge 'breakout' year for him!

We'll never know for sure what happened in this kind of he-said-she-said story, but personally I believe Betsy, not only because she has little to gain and a lot to lose by telling her story, but also because of his misbehavior with the stadium ushers with the Chattanooga Lookouts and other credible reports of misbehavior with women. So, good for him that he's been cleared to play by MLB, but suffice it to say that I won't be buying any Sano jerseys.

MLB has shown an open willingness to punish players without the type of evidence necessary to prove accusations in a legal setting before, either probable cause or beyond a reasonable doubt. MLB conducted over 20 interviews and given the current political climate, you can bet they didn’t take their decision lightly. There’s absolutely no reason to doubt the quality or integrity of the MLB investigation. MLB didn’t say “Sano’s accuser was full of ****” or something of that nature. The investigation was almost certainly very thorough, but it was obviously unable to uncover any solid evidence Sano acted inappropriately. This was never going to be about a “sexual assault” as police would have been handling that investigation. It’s not MLBs duty to investigate crimes. It’s MLBs duty to investigate personal conduct and determine whether or not a player has violated personal conduct rules, which isn’t limited in scope to crimes. There just wasn’t significant evidence OR perhaps there wasn’t significant interest from the accuser to pursue punishment. We don’t know, and we never will. It would be nice if people had a shred of respect for the hard work of MLB investigators and the process, though.

Be it that the accuser stated that she only wanted to talk about it for her own mental health, and not create problems for Sano, it seems she should be happy with the outcome, and she has accomplished her goal. I hope Sano has learned, too. As a reader, I had certainly felt that the TD staffers had already judged him and convicted him. Hopefully, we all learn from this, respect the process, and move on and play some baseball.

Not much difference between celebrating the fact that the Twins will have Sano and looking forward to the Twins having Sano.

We here at Twins Daily have basically been previewing the 2018 season for months now. If you’ve let yourself fall behind, no need to worry, there’s always time for a cram session. Here is a collection of articles that have been published this offseason that will help you prepare for Opening Day.You think you’re ready for the season? Not until you read all 50 of these articles. OK, that’s not true, but I think you’ll enjoy these: Latest News No Suspension For Miguel Sano | Seth Stohs Opening Day Roster Coming Clear With Thursday Transactions | Seth Stohs Twins with One Spot Left | Ted Schwerzler Jake Odorizzi Named Opening Day Starter | Cody Christie On the Division/Schedule Report From The Fort: The Twins Strength Of Schedule | John Bonnes Report From The Fort: How Weak Is The Al Central? | John Bonnes Minnesota's Wild Card Competition | Cody Christie Scouting Target Field’s Biggest Games of 2018 | Tom Froemming Lists! Top Ten Twins Players Under 25 (1-5) | Cody Christie Top Ten Twins Players Under 25 (6-10) | Cody Christie The Top 20 Minnesota Twins Assets: Part 4 (1-5)| Nick Nelson The Top 20 Minnesota Twins Assets: Part 3 (6-10) | Nick Nelson The Top 20 Minnesota Twins Assets: Part 2 (11-15)| Nick Nelson The Top 20 Minnesota Twins Assets: Part 1 (16-20) | Nick Nelson Depth Charts Position Analysis: Catcher | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: First Base | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: Second Base | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: Third Base | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: Shortstop | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: Left Field | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: Center Field | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: Right Field | Nick Nelson Position Analysis: Designated Hitter | Nick Nelson Catcher Report From The Fort: Can Confidence Carry Garver To Success? | Nick Nelson Backstop Battery Becoming an Asset | Ted Schwerzler Video: Slowing Things Down To See Jason Castro’s Silent Skill | Tom Froemming Infield Ehire Of Hope: Can Adrianza Seize A Prime Opportunity? | Nick Nelson What Needs To Happen For Joe Mauer To Be A Twin In 2019? | Andrew Thares Report From The Fort: Joe Mauer Will Give Up Hitting When You Pry The Bat From His Cold Dead Hand | John Bonnes Report From The Fort: Logan Morrison Is Staying Quiet (For Once) | John Bonnes That’s Offensive: Did Morrison’s Signing Fix Minnesota’s Biggest Flaw? | Cody Christie Brian Dozier: I'll Be A Free Agent | John Bonnes Outfield The (Temporary) Luxury Of The Best Defender On Earth | Nick Nelson Eddie Rosario And The Battle For Plate Discipline | Jamie Cameron Not So Fast: Is Eddie Rosario Already Losing a Step? | Tom Froemming Will Max Kepler Take the Next Step in 2018? | Tom Froemming Starting Pitching Report From The Fort: Time For Jose Berrios To Take Control | Nick Nelson Report From The Fort: Learning About Lance Lynn | Nick Nelson Report From The Fort: Jake Odorizzi Is Better Than You Think | John Bonnes Getting Rid Of The Bad Odor Might Be Izzi | Cody Christie Don't Panic Over Bad Breaks For Twins Rotation | Nick Nelson Adalberto Mejia: High Floor or More? | Jamie Cameron Twins Sign RHP Michael Pineda | Seth Stohs Hopes And Plans For Trevor May | Seth Stohs Can Phil Hughes Surprise Us? | Nick Nelson Expectations For New Pitching Coach Garvin Alston | Cody Christie Bullpen Report From The Fort: Fernando Rodney Relishes Your Pain | John Bonnes Get To Know Rule 5 Pick Tyler Kinley | Seth Stohs Can Addison Reed Become Minnesota's Bullpen Ace? | Nick Nelson The Minnesota Twins, Zach Duke and Best Practices | Parker Hageman Can Ryan Pressly Put It All Together? | Jamie Cameron Thursday at 2:05 pm CT, the Twins will open the regular season in Baltimore. We made it. Are you ready? Click here to view the article

Polanco was not suspended at the time Vargas was waived (to clear a spot for Cave). If he had been suspended earlier, Vargas would have remained on the 40 a few weeks longer. Sano avoids suspension lessening the need to fill the empty spot on the 40 man with an infielder. The empty spot allows the Twins to try to add depth with a bench bat. They may waive him again at the roster deadline but it will be harder for teams like the Reds to find space on the 25 in that window.

Thanks again everyone. Semi-colon? What am I, a doctor? Just kidding, of course I know what a semi-colon is. That's Bartolo Colon's other nickname, right? Because he's big like a semi truck.

I was going to say, Chargois has an option remaining so he is unlikely to go on waivers again so soon. But in fact, he is also making the Dodgers opening day roster: https://www.ocregister.com/2018/03/23/dodgers-season-opening-roster-starting-to-come-into-focus/

Holy cow, Tom...impressive editorial work!

Kenny is in Puerto Rico, just had a baby boy two days ago.

Yeah. The rotation at the start doesn’t mean much. Anyone remember who started game 2 for the Twins in 1991?

I don't believe that to be the case. I believe MLB's policies are likely far less stringent than a court of law where someone is, legally, innocent until proven guilty. Considering that another player was just suspended for apparently having a yelling match with his wife, it sounds like MLB found nothing to hang a case on. Which, again, doesn't mean nothing happened, it just means that they didn't even have enough to have reasonable suspicion that it did happen as she said. Perhaps more briefly, in a court of law reasonable doubt is enough to acquit. In a case like this, reasonable suspicion is surely enough to suspend.

Yep. FWIW, I was in Chattanooga and sat behind the Twins dugout for two games in 2015. Sano was one of the "vocal leaders" both in pregame warm-up sessions, and in the dugout during the games. Lots of sometime mischievious chatter between teammates and occasional chatter with off-field spectators and employees. Sano was a frequent instigator. However, I didn't notice anyone being "harassed." I guess that "proves" that Sano is.... what, exactly? Gregarious? Immature? Exonerated from Betsy's charges? Oof.... the scourge that Twitter sometimes can be. The platform has nuclearized the power to dangerously redefine the legal notion of "Rush to Judgement". Does anyone seriously believe that the "head usher" at AT&T Park freely shared with some random fan... the entire set of adopted policies and procedures taken relative to a perceived predatory sexually harassing Lookout player?

ah, twitter, such a reliable source of information... I believe everything i read on it, no questions asked.

MLB investigated this accusation and its assessment regarding the lack of credibility of the accusation is pretty clear. Sorry, but I trust the MLB review as being more objective and thorough than the opinions of the "I'm a fan of Miggy" crowd and the "I know Betsy personally" crowd. Play ball!

Sexual assault is not a "cultural thing." In fact, the act itself and its widespread toleration is very "American." Plenty of "Americans" do both. Harvey Weinstein. Our very own Garrison Keillor. A very prominent politician who is in the news every day. Lots of "Americans." Have you heard of Me Too, by any chance?

There won't be protests, people will move on like they always do (and should do). And it's sports, this team still honors Puckett left and right while conveniently ignoring his issues. Re: this 'story' I was very suspect about this story from the start, when no other real accusations came out I was even more suspect (sorry, but a 20 year old hitting on ushers at a baseball stadium is not a crime...maybe a bit creepy, and unprofessional, but not a crime) I'm glad they can put this story/issue behind them, whether or not the incident happened (and to what degree) I do hope the accuser finds peace.

I really think the Twins need to cut ties with Grossman. I like him but a patient approach at the plate doesn't make up for his lack of power and defensive flexibility.

As someone who knows Betsy both as a person and as a friend of Twins Daily, I really appreciate all of you who have participated in this thread and shown empathy for her situation without judgment. This is a difficult situation and I'm proud of how most of the posters on this site have talked about this delicate subject. Maybe it's time to move on. Maybe MLB didn't find evidence to suspend Sano (but let's not conflate lack of evidence with innocence). As an individual, I do not know what happened that night but I know Betsy and I trust her statements. That doesn't mean I want to vilify Miguel Sano or run him off on rails; but it does mean I earnestly feel for Betsy and the hurt she obviously feels over this entire ordeal and I think that's something everyone should keep in mind while posting in this thread, and most of you have. Again, I thank all of you for showing restraint, consideration, and a little understanding before you post about this topic.

I hesitate to weigh in here as I already did, at length, when this topic first came to light. Further, from the various responses here it remains a very touchy and loaded subject. I felt all along, and the MLB investigation and comments have "backed up" my initial feelings, that there would be no suspension, good or bad, right or wrong, the amount of time, lack of witnesses, and no police report would seem to provide no "justification" for a suspension. I deliberately put justification in quotes not to troll or create controversy. Simply as a statement of reality. With all due respect to every poster, and every member of the TD family, unless you are actually personally associated with either party involved, our involvement in this situation resides in being fans of the Twins and outliers of the situation. Period. I am passing NO JUDGEMENT on either party in this situation. How could i? I have absolutely no first hand knowledge. The accuser has pressed no criminal charges, nor has she sought out monetary reperations. Does this make Sano guilty? Absolutely not. Nor does it exonerate him. At the end kf the day, it remains what it has been, a terribly uncomfortable turn of events that truly has no firm resolution. Playing the part of a truly neutral party in this...again, how could I not be...i hope Betsy finds peace with her revelations. And it is my hope that Sano will learn from this situation, regardless of any guilt he may or not be party to, to mature as a man and make certain he is not put in to, or puts himself in to, again. I feel passing judgement on either party is short-sighted. As a man, as a respectful lover of women, as a father, as a person who has been friends with and been involved with women who have been either accosted or abused, the big picture isn't about just baseball, or any blame or dispersion passed on either party involved. It should be about "what happens next"? Perhaps the reported incidents in Chatanooga were very real. Perhaps they were blown out of proportion. Perhaps Sano did or said things just being "young and dumb". I don't know. Honestly, do you? "What happens next?" is very real, however. There is a problem in society with situations of this nature. And again, this not about accusations to either party involved in this particular situation! In general, this is an opportunity for the Twins, and all of us really, to take a good hard look at education and tolerance. I truly hope for the best for all parties involved. And message board, fan site or not, I really wish we could just close this ugly chapter and move on, with the exception of turning a blind eye.

I'm not surprised MLB made this decision, given the length of time since the incident and lack of evidence that could provide them an objective justification for a suspension. I still believe the accuser, but I'm not surprised at the outcome. It's... whatever. What makes me more mad is people thinking this exonerates Miguel Sano somehow, or that this proves the accuser lied. It does not at all.

Several of us actually know Betsy so I wouldn't call it "nothing". A few of the Twins Daily folks knew about it before Betsy said anything publicly.

Probably because it was a cesspool of Mauer bashing and nothing else. But let's keep this thread on topic.

Some of these comments crack me up. "Defaming either side isn't productive " while simultaneously saying that Sano doesnt seem to have learned his lesson. Huh? I know she used to eork for this site but jeez loueez, bias much? I personally found several flags in her statement. Ahe mentioned "now that Twins Daily has lost theit credentials, there is nothing left to lose"...that seems like an odd way to tell the "truth"...Then mentioning getting hit on every night by the first base coach. IMO, her statement on social media didn't do her any favors. Like has been mentioned, it doesn't appear too many people really know what happened but there are a lot of you that want justice for her and crucify Sano anyway.

Being excited about a player's availability is a far cry from celebrating someone being deemed not guilty of sexual abuse.

Having a player of Sano's caliber in the lineup certainly helps the team. But this still feels pretty gross.

People way overestimate the order, as having meaning. Other than trying to line up Berrios for Puerto Rico, it's random pretty much.

Thanks for putting this together, Tom. I'm going to make it a point to catch up on everything here I haven't read before Opening Day. Also, seeing it listed here, I'd almost forgotten about this piece and all the angst it raised in the comments. Doesn't seem so ridiculous now, does it? For all the consternation we're seeing right now, it's important to keep in mind that Minnesota still has plenty of options left on the table for addressing its rotation. They have money to spend and prospects to dangle in trade talks. They won't get a pitcher as good as Darvish, probably, but they can still find a decisive upgrade who gives them more flexibility. Within a month, they had traded for Odorizzi and signed Lynn. Just calling this out as a reminder (even to myself) not to overreact when a couple things break wrong.

Still bummed about this one. I won't complain too much. They've made some savvy moves this offseason that'll likely have a much greater impact than Chagrois (Reed, Duke, Odiorizzi, Lynn). But, id take a healthy Chagrois in our bullpen over Kinley, and maybe a couple others. I don't think their intent was to dump him. I think they were probably shocked when he got claimed. They tried to get cute with the roster.

It's possible that the positional flexibility of guys of like Adrianza, Escobar, Garver, and to a lesser degree Morrison, would allow them to keep Vargas and Grossman, while having Granite a call away should anything happen. Buxton goes down, Kepler/Rosario shifts over. Rosario/Kepler goes down, Grossman/Garver/Adrianza/Morrison goes in. Obviously not ideal, but if it's anything more than a day or two, Granite could be up quickly. Or, maybe they're hoping to try to pass him through again with the final big roster purge of the spring and hope he gets lost in the shuffle and he can be one of those guys just a call away in Rochester.

Dowsing rods, my good man.

I think this is an issue and has to be taken with a huge grain of salt, it's just a random account of a random twitter user (not a reporter etc) and his conversation with a head usher. I'm not saying it can't be considered, but I also think it's a little unfair to Sano for people to bring up the 'Chattanooga issues' as truth/gospel.

Has literally anyone said these things?

The Puckett thing has certainly muted how his legacy is viewed. The film clips don't change, but I think the excitement isnt the same. And I ain't no prude. As for hitting on ushers, fan behavior shows you don't have to be only 20 to do that. But the fact that it was persistent enough that they felt the need to rotate ushers, and keep female ushers out of that area does indicate he crossed the flirting line.

IF a player believes something bad happened, he should just shut up and let it go? Is that your stance? If so, that's how bad things keep happening. If not, in not sure what you are saying.

It's ridiculous to me that everyone just assumes that he did it, but there just wasn't "enough" proof (which doesn't even make sense, either there is or there isn't proof). What makes me "itchy" about this situation is all the people who think they're qualified to play judge and jury on social media. This isn't an attempt to tear into the "victim" (again, more loaded language being used). But things like this do get made up by accusers for various reasons. You absolutely cannot start throwing the book at everyone that Twitter assumes is guilty, with no witnesses, no evidence, and no admission (denial, in fact). We're still operating in America, here. Sexual assault is an issue. A big one. But we need to be really careful in regards to the language we use and the conclusions we draw. Its all the rage these days to feign outrage, virtue signal, seek victimhood for attention, etc. almost nothing can be taken at face value anymore, yet Sano was assumed guilty the minute the first Tweet related to the "incident" was posted.

because he's older and never really been good in the minors. A few spring training ABs don't really mean all that much.

It works both ways...but the opposite of how you describe...at least, ideally.... No eyebrows should be raised, neither in the direction of Sano nor in the direction of the accuser. We don't know what happened...people whose job it is to find out, and who had access to whatever information existed, couldn't determine with any certainty what happened. That's the point. Moving on...

MLB could re-open the investigation if it gets new news on Sano, per Heyman: https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/977286086199250944 For what it's worth, I'm bothered and saddened by the result of this, happy as I am as a fan that Sano will be in the lineup. I just hope that there are people throughout the Twins organization who are stressing to this young man the importance of treating people with respect.