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Miguel Sano has officially started his major league rehab assignment and debuts with the Fort Myers Miracle. The plan is for Sano to progress from High-A to Double-A before eventually getting in a couple of games with Triple-A Rochester. Per MLB rules, his rehab stint can run 20 days barring any setbacks. Last playing in a big-league game on September 18 and getting in just 71 games last year, this will serve as Sano’s spring training.
It’s not lost on anyone that Sano’s immense talent has gone unrealized in recent seasons. He was worth 0 fWAR in 2018, and after an impressive rookie campaign, only flashed his talent through a fast start to the 2017 season. The Dominican native has never played more than 116 games in a season, and conditioning issues, reflective of drive and desire, seemed to be the largest reason for the under-performance of the owner of Minnesota’s hot corner.
Here’s the reality though: This is a very good baseball player. Miguel Sano has all the tools to be an incredible asset in Rocco Baldelli’s lineup, and regardless of the early production, it’s clear this club could use him. Marwin Gonzalez was signed to be an asset through his utility. The ability to spell players all over the diamond is one of the chief contributors to his value. Playing as the regular third baseman in Sano’s absence, the former Astro owns just a .501 OPS and has only three extra-base hits in 86 plate appearances. It’d be silly to think that level of production continues for the newly signed free agent, but getting him out of regular duty could help to allow him a chance to settle in.
At his best, Sano is an all-star talent that lengthens Minnesota’s lineup. Like the sluggers that already litter it, he can put the ball in the seats. Unlike some of his teammates however, a locked in Sano is also a disciplined hitter with an eye for free passes. Like many power bats he’ll strike out plenty, but his .352 OBP in 2017 is a realistic expectation when he’s going right.
One of the most exciting things about inserting Sano back into the lineup is how his swing profile meshes so perfectly with how Minnesota has operated this year. The Twins have made a concentrated effort to hit the ball harder and higher, and ambush pitchers earlier in the count. Whether or not that’s a directive from somewhere in the organization or not, it’s what is taking place on the field. Sano owns a 42% career hard hit rate and is routinely among the league leaders in both barreled balls and exit velocity. His 43.8% ground ball rate in 2018 did him no favors but getting back closer to the 37% career mark will leave more room for elevation.
When things fell apart for Miguel last year, there seemed to be a level of doubt in him, more than a reflection of a systemic change in his approach. Check swings were far too present, and an established knowledge of the strike zone was near non-existent. The swinging strike rate wasn’t out of whack, and the contact rate jumped. If anything, Sano wasn’t hitting the pitches he’d normally want to, and the approach was one full of apprehension.
You can bet that when Sano returns to Minnesota in 2019, he’ll be ready to go. This staff isn’t going to let the same habits play out again, and we saw that start to bear fruit as he showed up to spring training in considerably better shape. For the first time in his professional career it appears as though he’s committed to getting the most out of his talent as opposed to simply relying on it. The Twins will need to make sure the rehab is both effective and productive over the course of the next three weeks, and then it’ll be all systems go.
Miguel Sano has fallen flat at times during his career. He’s also a guy who has hit 25 home runs twice despite limited action. He’s been a legitimate power threat despite the tendency to strike out. Miguel Sano has generated a handful of hype without ever fully buying into himself. The floor is a pretty good bat, but the ceiling for the guy who showed up to Fort Myers this spring is something we haven’t yet seen from him in a Twins uniform.
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