Twins Fan From Afar

Yea, I probably did dismiss that too easily. I know there are guys that have to be added after this season, and Sano isn't one.

Thanks for the comment. Not that I totally disagree with you, but 2 things to point out the contrary: isn't Sano a better prospect than Hicks; and should the Twins even care about that last spot on the 40-man roster with all of the quasi-talented last spots that are taken up right now?

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe_DFyfgUMM/UgGyJgcu3rI/AAAAAAAAApI/t1er7a1Lqvg/s320/Sano+Xmas.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]If you can't tell, Miguel Sano is a kid [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] If I told you that there was a Twins prospect at AA New Britain batting .243, you probably wouldn't blink an eye. If I told you he had some pop in his bat, and a good arm from the left side of the infield, maybe you'd express mild interest. But if I told you that the prospect was Miguel Sano, and that he had a combined 26 HRs and 80 RBIs in early August, playing in 2 pitchers' leagues, you'd probably be interested. Anyone who is reading this piece probably knows what Miguel Sano might -- or could -- mean to this franchise: without exaggeration, he probably is the best power-hitting Twins prospect in the past 30 years. He just turned 20, and he's holding his own at AA, which is generally considered the largest jump a hitter will make before reaching the major leagues. The purpose here isn't so much to cast opinion (to be sure, I have one, but I'm trying not to let it play out), but rather to to present arguments in favor of, and against, the idea of Sano finishing the season at Target Field as a member of the Twins. Without further ado, let's go through the pros and cons. Call Him Up!!! 1. Sano is the best power hitting prospect the Twins have had in . . . well, forever. The Twins need power. Joshn Willingham and Justin Morneau are probably gone, and in any event they have largely been ineffective in 2013; Trevor Plouffe is sporadic. Right now, this club needs a middle-of-the-order bat that can do damage for the next several years. Anyone have a better in-house option than Sano? 2. Yea, his AA batting average isn't great, but look at that OPS (.915). When he is getting on base and making contact, he's doing big, big damage. He has performed in the clutch this season with the Ft. Myers Mircale and the New Britain Rock Cats, and absolutely nothing suggests he won't continue that trend. 3. Twins fans have been really screwed over these past few years. Sweet Lord: Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Jason Marquis, a billion injuries, shredded payroll. Come on, Pohlad Family and Terry Ryan, we really, really need a glimpse of the future, even if he's only 80% ready. You can't sell All-Star tickets on mere promises. Or maybe you can, but good luck filling those seats for the 81 non-All-Star games next season. People, Let's Be Prudent 1. There is no rush with any prospect in this organization. The Twins need to be taking a long look -- this is a team that needs to be set up to win in 2015-2018. Forget the last month of 2013. And look at his maturity issues. This is a guy that needs to be taught "the process," taught humility, and then brought up when he's ready. 2. Miguel Sano is not dominating AA. Let's not talk about this as if he's tearing the cover off the ball. The guy has 42 strike-outs in 41 games. Yea, he can, and does, hit the ball out of the park, but there's much more to being a major league player than that. And how about his defense. Yes, it's undoubtedly improved, but there's work to be done. 3. A jump to the big leagues from AA isn't always in the player's best interest. Look at Oswaldo Arcia: a great hitting AA prospect, called up before he was ready. And it messed with his head. Let's not do that with Sano. Let's make sure he's ready, even if that means finishing this season in AA, or even starting 2014 in AAA. Sano is a rare, rare commodity. And the Twins can't screw this up. In short, this is a great dilemma. Again, Miguel Sano is 20 years old. And tearing the cover off the ball.Yet, even the biggest Sano supporter should concede that he's far from a perfect prospect. For me, going into the second week of August, I'm almost 50/50 as to whether Sano should spend September with the Twins. I'd love to hear you comments -- and arguments both in support and against -- Sano spending the last month of this season in Minneapolis.

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe_DFyfgUMM/UgGyJgcu3rI/AAAAAAAAApI/t1er7a1Lqvg/s320/Sano+Xmas.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]If you can't tell, Miguel Sano is a kid [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] If I told you that there was a Twins prospect at AA New Britain batting .243, you probably wouldn't blink an eye. If I told you he had some pop in his bat, and a good arm from the left side of the infield, maybe you'd express mild interest. But if I told you that the prospect was Miguel Sano, and that he had a combined 26 HRs and 80 RBIs in early August, playing in 2 pitchers' leagues, you'd probably be interested. Anyone who is reading this piece probably knows what Miguel Sano might -- or could -- mean to this franchise: without exaggeration, he probably is the best power-hitting Twins prospect in the past 30 years. He just turned 20, and he's holding his own at AA, which is generally considered the largest jump a hitter will make before reaching the major leagues. The purpose here isn't so much to cast opinion (to be sure, I have one, but I'm trying not to let it play out), but rather to to present arguments in favor of, and against, the idea of Sano finishing the season at Target Field as a member of the Twins. Without further ado, let's go through the pros and cons. Call Him Up!!! 1. Sano is the best power hitting prospect the Twins have had in . . . well, forever. The Twins need power. Joshn Willingham and Justin Morneau are probably gone, and in any event they have largely been ineffective in 2013; Trevor Plouffe is sporadic. Right now, this club needs a middle-of-the-order bat that can do damage for the next several years. Anyone have a better in-house option than Sano? 2. Yea, his AA batting average isn't great, but look at that OPS (.915). When he is getting on base and making contact, he's doing big, big damage. He has performed in the clutch this season with the Ft. Myers Mircale and the New Britain Rock Cats, and absolutely nothing suggests he won't continue that trend. 3. Twins fans have been really screwed over these past few years. Sweet Lord: Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Jason Marquis, a billion injuries, shredded payroll. Come on, Pohlad Family and Terry Ryan, we really, really need a glimpse of the future, even if he's only 80% ready. You can't sell All-Star tickets on mere promises. Or maybe you can, but good luck filling those seats for the 81 non-All-Star games next season. People, Let's Be Prudent 1. There is no rush with any prospect in this organization. The Twins need to be taking a long look -- this is a team that needs to be set up to win in 2015-2018. Forget the last month of 2013. And look at his maturity issues. This is a guy that needs to be taught "the process," taught humility, and then brought up when he's ready. 2. Miguel Sano is not dominating AA. Let's not talk about this as if he's tearing the cover off the ball. The guy has 42 strike-outs in 41 games. Yea, he can, and does, hit the ball out of the park, but there's much more to being a major league player than that. And how about his defense. Yes, it's undoubtedly improved, but there's work to be done. 3. A jump to the big leagues from AA isn't always in the player's best interest. Look at Oswaldo Arcia: a great hitting AA prospect, called up before he was ready. And it messed with his head. Let's not do that with Sano. Let's make sure he's ready, even if that means finishing this season in AA, or even starting 2014 in AAA. Sano is a rare, rare commodity. And the Twins can't screw this up. In short, this is a great dilemma. Again, Miguel Sano is 20 years old. And tearing the cover off the ball.Yet, even the biggest Sano supporter should concede that he's far from a perfect prospect. For me, going into the second week of August, I'm almost 50/50 as to whether Sano should spend September with the Twins. I'd love to hear you comments -- and arguments both in support and against -- Sano spending the last month of this season in Minneapolis.

ROCHESTER 14, NORFOLK 3 Deibinson Romero and Chris Parmelee led the offense tonight, each homering. Eduardo Escobar delivered 2 doubles. The Red Wings offense delivered 14 total hits. A good night! Virgil Vasquez turned in a quality start, going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 1. Shairon Martis went the other 3 innings, giving up a run on 2 hits. Here's the link to the box score. NEW BRITAIN 9, READING 3 Miguel Sano returned to the lineup after a . . . hiatus, we'll call it. He helped the Rock Cats to end an ugly losing streak. He was 1-for-3 with 2 RBIs, 2 Ks, and 2 BBs. For my take on Sano's suspension, click here. Eddie Rosario hit his 3rd AA homer, and his 12th double, leading the offense. Kyle Davies earned his first Rock Cats win, going 7 innings of 1-run baseball. Dakota Watts and Jose Gonzalez finished the game. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4985[/ATTACH] Sano was back after a brief "naptime." Here's the link to the box score. CLEAR WATER 5, FT. MYERS 4 The Miracle only had 6 hits tonight, and they fell just short. #1 prospect Byron Buxton led the way with a homer and a single, and is batting .277 since his promotion. J.D. Williams also had 2 RBIs on a double. Taylor Rogers took the loss for Ft. Myers, giving up 4 earned runs in 6 innings of work. He struck out 3 and issued 0 walks. Adrian Salcedo and Manuel Soliman turned in scoreless performances. Here's the link to the box score. CEDAR RAPIDS 3, CLINTON 1 Left fielder Jeremias Pineda led the way with a double and 2 RBIs today. Max Kepler, playing first base, also had 2 singles and an RBI. Jonathan Murphy and Travis Harrison also had hits. The real story was Mason Melotakis, who tossed 8 innings, gave up 1 UNearned run, struck out 7 and walked none. What a good night for him! Madison Boer picked up his 7th save, allowing 1 hit and striking out 1. Here's the link to the box score. JOHNSON CITY 3, ELIZABETHTON 1 Dereck Rodriguez and Bryan Haar each had 2 hits for the E-Town Twins, and Ryan Walker, Romy Jimenez, Kelvin Ortiz and Mitch Garver all singled. But there just wasn't enough offense tonight. Tanner Mendonca got the start, going 4 innings and giving up 1 run. He walked 5, though. Ryan Eades tossed 2 perfect innings. Brandon Bixler also threw 2 innings, giving up 1 walk, but striking out 2. Brandon Peterson was very good tonight, tossing 3 innings. He gave up 4 hits, but struck out 3. Finally, Andre Martinez gave up 2 runs on a walk and a hit in 2/3 of an inning. Here's the link to the box score. Every affiliate is in action tomorrow, so be sure to check back here for a rundown!

Thanks for the comment, Jim H. Great points. You're right -- Sano's conduct and the Twins' need for Latin American coaches are distinct issues, but I think there's some correlation -- or at least that the presence of the latter may, on some level, assist with former. And you are right, I know the Twins have classes in Ft. Myers to help teach these guys English, so it's not as if they're doing nothing -- and I didn't mean to suggest that. But the facts that the organization is spending big money on Latin American players, yet has no native Spanish-speaking coaches, seems strange. It's certainly no "fix-all," but I bet it would help a little in overcoming what seems to be a current problem in an otherwise fantastic farm system.

[TABLE="class: tr-caption-container"] [TR] [TD="align: center"][URL="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrCWeA0w4zI/UfVE3grm5YI/AAAAAAAAAo0/M4gR9VTUYqk/s1600/Sano+Bocaton.jpg"][IMG]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrCWeA0w4zI/UfVE3grm5YI/AAAAAAAAAo0/M4gR9VTUYqk/s320/Sano+Bocaton.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="class: tr-caption, align: center"]"Bocaton" is Miguel Sano's nickname. It means "Big Mouth."[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] The biggest Twins story this past week hasn't been the team's resurgence toward respectability with a few series wins, nor the impending trade deadline that will likely ship out fan-favorite Justin Morneau. No, to be sure, the focal point of discussion has been here in New Britain, Connecticut, where Miguel Sano has been benched since a Tuesday night home run that undoubtedly left Terry Ryan (in attendance), manager Jeff Smith, opposing pitcher (and up until this June a Rock Cat himself) Bobby Lanigan, and others less than thrilled. If by chance you haven't seen the home run, [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QAc9SRdKz8"]here's a link[/URL] to the video.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]There are at least a couple schools of thought being played out among fans and in the media.[/FONT][/COLOR][PRBREAK][/PRBREAK][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] It's more complicated than two schools, but I'll distill it here for the sake of brevity. One school suggests that the Twins were correct to bench Sano for this display. They believe that the benching isn't an attempt to take away Sano's fire and attitude, but rather to instill in him the "correct" way to play the game. They also note that the benching didn't have as much to do with the homer as it did Sano's reactions to Ryan and Smith when questioned after the game.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]The second school suggests that the Twins are trying to take away the lively and fiery personality of one of their best hitting prospects, and a guy that could help turn around this franchise as early as next season. "They're going to tell him to start hitting to opposite field," this crowd might say, in reference to what the Twins suggested to (the then struggling hitter) David Ortiz.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]As usual, I think the truth is somewhere in between. I've seen three or four of Sano's AA home runs in person. A couple facts: he never runs fast around the bases, and he may linger at home plate for a second or two if he knows the ball isn't coming back. That being said, I've never seen him stand at home plate for 5-6 seconds, then take almost 30 seconds to round the bases. For some good background on this particular home run, and Sano's prior dealings with pitcher Bobby Lanigan, please, please read Pat Reusse's column [URL="http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/217118051.html"]here[/URL]. Just like with most things in life, there's more than meets the eye in connection with this at-bat.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]More important than Reusse's rendition of Lanigan's and Sano's past conflicts, however, is Reusse's call to action to the Twins to hire a coach from Latin America, pronto. To give credit where credit is due, Reusse is not the first person to point this out. I know, among others, that Thrylos at [URL="http://tenthinningstretch.blogspot.com/"]The Tenth Inning Stretch[/URL] has been clamoring for the Twins to do exactly this for at least a few seasons. And right now, that suggestion really makes sense.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]No, hiring a native-Spanish speaker (hopefully a younger, ex-MLB player) is not a cure-all. But there is something to be said for the fact that Oswaldo Arcia, Eddie Rosario, and Sano -- the three players most recently disciplined by the Twins -- are playing on teams that lack a coach/mentor/leader that shares cultural characteristics. The Twins should be lauded for getting Arcia, Rosario and Sano. All three could be All-Star caliber players, and the Twins spent millions to get them. But something is being lost in translation, and I'm not sure what the fix is.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]I watched, and loved, [URL="http://www.peloterothemovie.com/"]Ballplayer Pelotero[/URL], the documentary featuring Sano. I can't pretend to understand the struggle of these Latin American ballplayers. Yes, they often are given between several hundred thousand and several million dollars to sign, but that happens at age 16. And at least in Sano's case, it's been stated that he is not in control of that money, and that much of the money has been spent in real estate in his native Dominican Republic. These kids go from poor to somewhat wealthy; from living in the Dominican Republic or a similar country to living in Ft. Myers or Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and from being big-shots in their hometown to being cogs in a large, large wheel. The point here isn't to suggest that we need to feel sympathy for Sano, et al., but rather that we, as fans, have no idea the pressures they face, and whether they are at all equipped to face such pressures.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]I think Reusse's piece was spot-on. Trading aging veterans, continuing to sign top prospects, and allowing rookies to learn from their mistakes will make the Twins better in the long-run. Hiring multiple native Spanish speaking coaches at multiple levels of the system (assuming they're otherwise qualified, of course), will help this organization immediately. I can't suggest that this is a cure-all, but I can suggest that something is absolutely getting lost in translation. Would a native-Spanish speaking coach have prevented Sano's display? Probably not. But might that coach been able to have defuse the situation (keeping in mind that Sano's English is improving but is not at all good) before too much damage was done? Perhaps[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman]A couple final points:[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/COLOR] [LIST] [*]I expect Sano to be back in the lineup either today or when New Britain comes home tomorrow. The team has been drawing well at home, but is not selling out mid-week games. Sano puts people in seats, and fans want to see him the last month of the season. [*]Sano is not a jerk. I've read on TwinsDaily, and a few other comment boards, where people are saying that they don't care what his personality is, so long as he gets the job done. There's some merit to that: the vast majority of Twins players are very nice and personable, and some (many over the past few seasons) simply don't get the job done. I want Sano to succeed on the ballfield more than I want him to be considered a logical replacement host for Michael Strahan when he retires from his gig with Kelly Ripa. But these aren't mutually exclusive. From my brief encounters with Sano, he is a nice guy. I see him supporting teammates, yelling "let's go," -- and meaning it -- as he trots from third base back to the dugout when the team was down by 5 runs late in a game. I see him signing for kids before games, and tossing balls into the stands as he jogs back into the dugout. Sure, part of this very well might be a display, but by no means have I seen him be rude or discourteous to paying customers or reporters. [*]Finally, HE IS 20 YEARS OLD. What kind of dumb stuff did you do when you were 20? Did you think that you knew a lot? I did. Did you think that money grew on trees when you got a big paycheck from that summer job? I did. The Rock Cats (through the Twins) are trying to make Sano mature a little faster than he is ready for. Why? Because next year at this time they fully expect he's going to be manning third base for the Twins. He's going to be on ESPN. He'll have sponsorship deals. He's going to be in the public eye of the nation, not just Central Connecticut and Twins Territory. Videos of his dumb displays won't be grainy and on YouTube; they'll be on SportsCenter for the world to see. [/LIST] View full article

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrCWeA0w4zI/UfVE3grm5YI/AAAAAAAAAo0/M4gR9VTUYqk/s320/Sano+Bocaton.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]"Bocaton" is Miguel Sano's nickname. It means "Big Mouth." [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The biggest Twins story this past week hasn't been the team's resurgence toward respectability with a few series wins, or the impending trade deadline that will likely ship out fan-favorite Justin Morneau. No, to be sure, the focal point of discussion has been out here in New Britain, Connecticut, where Miguel Sano has been benched since a Tuesday night home run that undoubtedly left Terry Ryan (in attendance), manager Jeff Smith, opposing pitcher (and up until this June a Rock Cat himself) Bobby Lanigan, and others less than thrilled. If by chance you haven't seen the home run, to the video.There are at least a couple schools of thought being played out in the media, and by fans right now. It's more complicated than two schools, but I'll distill it here for the sake of brevity. One school suggests that the Twins were correct to bench Sano for this display. They believe that the benching isn't an attempt to take away Sano's fire and attitude, but rather to instill in him the "correct" way to play the game. They also note that the benching didn't have as much to do with the homer as it did Sano's reactions to Ryan and Smith when questioned after the game. The second school suggests that the Twins are trying to take away the lively and fiery personality of one of their best hitting prospects, and a guy that could help turn around this franchise as early as next season. "They're going to tell him to start hitting to opposite field," this crowd might say, in reference to what the Twins suggested to (then struggling hitter) David Ortiz. As usual, I think the truth is somewhere in-between. I've seen 3 of 4 of Sano's AA home runs in person. A couple facts: he never runs fast around the bases, and he may linger at home plate for a second or two if he knows the ball isn't coming back. That being said, I've never seen him stand at home plate for 5-6 seconds, then take almost 30 seconds to round the bases. For some good background on this particular home run, and Sano's prior dealings with pitcher Bobby Lanigan, please, please read Pat Reusse's column here. Just like with most things in life, there's more than meets the eye in connection with this at-bat. More important than Reusse's rendition of Lanigan's and Sano's past conflicts, however, is Reusse's call to action to the Twins to hire a coach from Latin America, pronto. To give credit where credit is due, Reusse is not the first person to point this out. I know, among others, that Thrylos at The Tenth Inning Stretch has been clamoring for the Twins to do exactly this for at least a few seasons. And right now, that suggestion really makes sense. No, hiring a native-Spanish speaker (hopefully a younger, ex-MLB player) is not a cure-all. But there is something to be said for the fact that Oswaldo Arcia, Eddie Rosario, and Sano -- three players most recently disciplined by the Twins -- are playing on teams that lack a coach/mentor/leader that shares cultural characteristics. The Twins should be lauded for getting Arcia, Rosario and Sano. All 3 could be All-Star caliber players, and the Twins spent millions to get them. But something is being lost in translation, and I'm not sure what the fix is. I watched, and loved, Ballplayer Pelotero, the documentary featuring Sano. I can't pretend to understand the struggle of these Latin American ballplayers. Yes, they often are given between several hundred thousand and several million dollars to sign, but that happens at age 16. And at least in Sano's case, it's been stated that he is not in control of that money, and that much of the money has been spent in real estate in his native Dominican Republic. These kids go from poor to somewhat wealthy; from living in the Dominican Republic or a similar country to living in Ft. Myers or Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and from being big-shots in their hometown to being cogs in a large, large wheel. The point here isn't to suggest that we need to feel sympathy for Sano et al., but rather that we, as fans, have no idea the pressures they face, and whether they are at all equipped to face such pressures. I think Reusse's piece was spot-on. Trading aging veterans, continuing to sign top prospects, and allowing rookies to learn from their mistakes will make the Twins better in the long-run. Hiring multiple native Spanish speaking coaches at multiple levels of the system (assuming they're otherwise qualified, of course), will help this organization immediately. I can't suggest that this is a cure-all, but I can suggest that something is absolutely getting lost in translation. Would a native-Spanish speaking coach have prevented Sano's display? Probably not. But might that coach been able to have diffuse the situation (keeping in mind that Sano's English is improving but is not at all good) before too much damage was done? Perhaps. A couple final points: I expect Sano to be back in the lineup either today or when New Britain comes home tomorrow. The team has been drawing well at home, but is not selling out mid-week games. Sano puts people in seats, and fans want to see him the last month of the season. Sano is not a jerk. I've read on TwinsDaily, and a few other comment boards, where people are saying that they don't care what his personality is, so long as he gets the job done. There's some merit to that: the vast majority of Twins players are very nice and personable, and some (many over the past few seasons) simply don't get the job done. I want Sano to succeed on the ballfield more than I want him to be considered a logical replacement host for Michael Strahan when he retires from his gig with Kelly Ripa. But these aren't mutually exclusive. From my brief encounters with Sano, he is a nice guy. I see him supporting teammates, yelling "let's go," -- and meaning it -- as he trots from third base back to the dugout when the team was down by 5 runs late in a game. I see him signing for kids before games, and tossing balls into the stands as he jogs back into the dugout. Sure, part of this very well might be a display, but by no means have I seen him be rude or discourteous to paying customers or reporters. Finally, HE IS 20 YEARS OLD. What kind of dumb stuff did you do when you were 20? Did you think that you knew a lot? I did. Did you think that money grew on trees when you got a big paycheck from that summer job? I did. The Rock Cats (through the Twins) are trying to make Sano mature a little faster than he is ready for. Why? Because next year at this time they fully expect he's going to be manning third base for the Twins. He's going to be on ESPN. He'll have sponsorship deals. He's going to be in the public eye of the nation, not just Twins Territory and Central Connecticut. Videos of his dumb displays won't be grainy and on YouTube; they'll be on SportsCenter for the world to see.

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zrCWeA0w4zI/UfVE3grm5YI/AAAAAAAAAo0/M4gR9VTUYqk/s320/Sano+Bocaton.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]"Bocaton" is Miguel Sano's nickname. It means "Big Mouth." [/TD] [/TABLE] [Originally published at Twins Fan From Afar] The biggest Twins story this past week hasn't been the team's resurgence toward respectability with a few series wins, or the impending trade deadline that will likely ship out fan-favorite Justin Morneau. No, to be sure, the focal point of discussion has been out here in New Britain, Connecticut, where Miguel Sano has been benched since a Tuesday night home run that undoubtedly left Terry Ryan (in attendance), manager Jeff Smith, opposing pitcher (and up until this June a Rock Cat himself) Bobby Lanigan, and others less than thrilled. If by chance you haven't seen the home run, to the video.There are at least a couple schools of thought being played out in the media, and by fans right now. It's more complicated than two schools, but I'll distill it here for the sake of brevity. One school suggests that the Twins were correct to bench Sano for this display. They believe that the benching isn't an attempt to take away Sano's fire and attitude, but rather to instill in him the "correct" way to play the game. They also note that the benching didn't have as much to do with the homer as it did Sano's reactions to Ryan and Smith when questioned after the game. The second school suggests that the Twins are trying to take away the lively and fiery personality of one of their best hitting prospects, and a guy that could help turn around this franchise as early as next season. "They're going to tell him to start hitting to opposite field," this crowd might say, in reference to what the Twins suggested to (then struggling hitter) David Ortiz. As usual, I think the truth is somewhere in-between. I've seen 3 of 4 of Sano's AA home runs in person. A couple facts: he never runs fast around the bases, and he may linger at home plate for a second or two if he knows the ball isn't coming back. That being said, I've never seen him stand at home plate for 5-6 seconds, then take almost 30 seconds to round the bases. For some good background on this particular home run, and Sano's prior dealings with pitcher Bobby Lanigan, please, please read Pat Reusse's column here. Just like with most things in life, there's more than meets the eye in connection with this at-bat. More important than Reusse's rendition of Lanigan's and Sano's past conflicts, however, is Reusse's call to action to the Twins to hire a coach from Latin America, pronto. To give credit where credit is due, Reusse is not the first person to point this out. I know, among others, that Thrylos at The Tenth Inning Stretch has been clamoring for the Twins to do exactly this for at least a few seasons. And right now, that suggestion really makes sense. No, hiring a native-Spanish speaker (hopefully a younger, ex-MLB player) is not a cure-all. But there is something to be said for the fact that Oswaldo Arcia, Eddie Rosario, and Sano -- three players most recently disciplined by the Twins -- are playing on teams that lack a coach/mentor/leader that shares cultural characteristics. The Twins should be lauded for getting Arcia, Rosario and Sano. All 3 could be All-Star caliber players, and the Twins spent millions to get them. But something is being lost in translation, and I'm not sure what the fix is. I watched, and loved, Ballplayer Pelotero, the documentary featuring Sano. I can't pretend to understand the struggle of these Latin American ballplayers. Yes, they often are given between several hundred thousand and several million dollars to sign, but that happens at age 16. And at least in Sano's case, it's been stated that he is not in control of that money, and that much of the money has been spent in real estate in his native Dominican Republic. These kids go from poor to somewhat wealthy; from living in the Dominican Republic or a similar country to living in Ft. Myers or Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and from being big-shots in their hometown to being cogs in a large, large wheel. The point here isn't to suggest that we need to feel sympathy for Sano et al., but rather that we, as fans, have no idea the pressures they face, and whether they are at all equipped to face such pressures. I think Reusse's piece was spot-on. Trading aging veterans, continuing to sign top prospects, and allowing rookies to learn from their mistakes will make the Twins better in the long-run. Hiring multiple native Spanish speaking coaches at multiple levels of the system (assuming they're otherwise qualified, of course), will help this organization immediately. I can't suggest that this is a cure-all, but I can suggest that something is absolutely getting lost in translation. Would a native-Spanish speaking coach have prevented Sano's display? Probably not. But might that coach been able to have diffuse the situation (keeping in mind that Sano's English is improving but is not at all good) before too much damage was done? Perhaps. A couple final points: I expect Sano to be back in the lineup either today or when New Britain comes home tomorrow. The team has been drawing well at home, but is not selling out mid-week games. Sano puts people in seats, and fans want to see him the last month of the season. Sano is not a jerk. I've read on TwinsDaily, and a few other comment boards, where people are saying that they don't care what his personality is, so long as he gets the job done. There's some merit to that: the vast majority of Twins players are very nice and personable, and some (many over the past few seasons) simply don't get the job done. I want Sano to succeed on the ballfield more than I want him to be considered a logical replacement host for Michael Strahan when he retires from his gig with Kelly Ripa. But these aren't mutually exclusive. From my brief encounters with Sano, he is a nice guy. I see him supporting teammates, yelling "let's go," -- and meaning it -- as he trots from third base back to the dugout when the team was down by 5 runs late in a game. I see him signing for kids before games, and tossing balls into the stands as he jogs back into the dugout. Sure, part of this very well might be a display, but by no means have I seen him be rude or discourteous to paying customers or reporters. Finally, HE IS 20 YEARS OLD. What kind of dumb stuff did you do when you were 20? Did you think that you knew a lot? I did. Did you think that money grew on trees when you got a big paycheck from that summer job? I did. The Rock Cats (through the Twins) are trying to make Sano mature a little faster than he is ready for. Why? Because next year at this time they fully expect he's going to be manning third base for the Twins. He's going to be on ESPN. He'll have sponsorship deals. He's going to be in the public eye of the nation, not just Twins Territory and Central Connecticut. Videos of his dumb displays won't be grainy and on YouTube; they'll be on SportsCenter for the world to see.

Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated. Last night Sano seemed to do a better job of laying off the breaking pitches that ended up low and away (you know, Michael Cuddyer's favorite pitch ). Watching some of the games on Gameday from last week it seemed that he was falling behind in the count more often and then of course was being forced to swing at the pitcher's pitch, not the hitter's pitch. So that's one thing. Another thing is that he just seemed locked in. Just off the top of my head -- and this is probably wrong -- but I think he only swung and missed once or twice last night. So long story short Sano just seems more comfortable with his surroundings. That would take a lot of work to catch the guy from the Phillies! I mean, it's possible Sano could hit 15 homers as a Rock Cat, but every homer the other guy hits makes it harder to catch. But hey, if there's one guy that's up to the challenge, I think it's Sano. As to your last question, yes, the Rock Cats are aware of what they have with Sano. And I think that's passed down (with specific instructions) from the Twins. I could be wrong, but I think the Twins can even dictate things like where players bat in the order, etc. So from 1,000 miles away, the tone is being set by Terry Ryan & Co.

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-153Rzgp09_w/Uc5onmSMGpI/AAAAAAAAAng/JU--lXBIfOQ/s320/IMAG0501.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Windy skies tonight in New Britain [/TD] [/TABLE] This is a night where I'm glad I'm not a real journalist with a real deadline. Wow, what a game. Well, more specifically, what a game for Miguel Sano: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBIs. And the 1 out he made was a 400 ft monster fly ball that the Phillies' center fielder made a fantastic, leaping catch on. OK, I'll start at the beginning: The conditions at New Britain Stadium were damp, to say the least. About an hour before game time, a brief but severe storm passed through. The infield remained in good condition thanks to the tarp -- more accurately thanks to the grounds crew pictured above -- but parts of the outfield (lacking the advanced drainage system of Target Field) were soaked. The grounds crew did a great job taking care of that issue, however, and the game started just over an hour late (one neat thing about minor league baseball is that it's very much an all-hands-on-deck mentality -- the same people helping with the tarp or the drainage might be some of the same people you encounter in the press box or the concourses later). Perhaps Rock Cats starter Trevor May was off his rhythm due to the delay, because he surrendered a long and loud homer on the very first pitch of the game. It seemed as if May would settle down, though, and fortunately had his very good curve going early on, but it wasn't going to be that easy. A control problem that plagued May ended up (more or less) costing him 2 more runs: in the second inning, he walked the #7 hitter with 2 outs, then gave up another no-doubter to right field. It was his only walk of the night -- accompanied by 6 strikeouts -- but it was damaging. On the whole, I'd call it an up-and-down performance for May. On the one hand, the struck out 6, only walked 1, and had flashes of excellent pitching. On the other hand, he allowed 2 long home runs, issued a costly 2-out walk that preceded a home run, and was over 50 pitches with only 1 out in the third inning. He ended up tossing 93 pitches to make it through 5 innings. Definitely not an awful performance, but also not the kind of performance that's going to make Terry Ryan pick up the phone and set May up in Rochester. His final line: 5 innings; 4 ER; 6Ks; 1 BB. 2 HR. Offensively, wow. Have you heard of this prospect the Twins have? Miguel something-or-other? I'm no baseball expert, but I sure have been to a ton of MLB and MiLB games. Sano's performance tonight ranks right up there with any individual performance I have ever seen: A long, frozen rope single to left field; a first-pitch homer; and an amazing 9th inning homer. And his one out was a long, long fly to center. Ridiculous. Boy does that guy know how to hit. In fact, I have video of all his at-bats on my YouTube channel. Check it out. Again, I apologize for the poor quality of the video and the finger(s) that may occasionally appear in the corner of the screen. Hey, I never said I was Steven Spielberg! Two funny things about Sano's at-bats this evening: his single was hit harder than either of the homers; and the flyout to center field probably traveled farther than either of the home runs. The power he generates is amazing. Jeez the guy is impressive. Back to the game and the other 20-some players on the team. The problem with tonight's game is that there wasn't nearly enough Rock Cats offense. 5 hits -- 3 from Sano; one from Josmil Pinto; 1 from Nate Hanson. Although Trevor May wasn't great tonight, he did deserve better performance from the other 6 guys in the lineup. I spoke to Rock Cats' manager Jeff Smith after the game. The obvious questions would have been about Sano. But what could Smith say besides "he's great" or "he's a rare talent." "Wow. He hit the ball hard and far tonight???" I can write crap like that (in fact, you're reading it!). Instead I asked about May. As I've written before, May's downfall typically has been issuing too many walks and prematurely driving up that pitch count. But what about tonight? Only 1 walk and 6 strikeouts -- peripherally good numbers. Smith stated: "Home run on the first pitch of the game, and just fell behind. . . . If you look back, [May] only gave up 5 hits, but his pitch count got up there pretty fast. . . . There were about 2 or 3 at-bats that the other team had that were about 10-pitch at-bats. It might have started 1-0, 2-0 [on the batters], and the next thing you know, a guy starts fouling pitches back. [May] didn't pitch that bad. A lead-off home run, and then an 0-2 home run." For the most part that's an accurate assessment. There were a couple very, very long at-bats. May wasn't bad by any means. I didn't get a chance to speak to him -- and I'm pretty sure he would not have been one to make excuses -- but you do have to wonder what happens to a starter after an hour-long delay. Especially when the starter gives up a first-pitch homer. Although May took the loss, there were plenty of good things about his performance tonight: first-pitch strikes seemed to be better; the curve was great, especially early in the game; the extremely wet conditions on the field didn't seem to affect his control; 6 Ks to 1 BB in 5 innings with 5 hits is a solid performance, excepting that 2/5 hits were homers. All in all, what a crazy night. I'll be honest: I wanted to see a Miguel Sano home run tonight. I got what I came for, and then some. I'll leave you with a couple funny Sano stats: he's 4th on the Rock Cats in home runs despite playing only 17 games for them. He has more homers than singles. He has 16 RBIs in 17 games. And get this, HE'S BATTING A LOUSY .236. What a freak of nature. Thanks for reading.

[TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] [TD=align: center]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-153Rzgp09_w/Uc5onmSMGpI/AAAAAAAAAng/JU--lXBIfOQ/s320/IMAG0501.jpg[/TD] [TD=class: tr-caption, align: center]Windy skies tonight in New Britain [/TD] [/TABLE] This is a night where I'm glad I'm not a real journalist with a real deadline. Wow, what a game. Well, more specifically, what a game for Miguel Sano: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 5 RBIs. And the 1 out he made was a 400 ft monster fly ball that the Phillies' center fielder made a fantastic, leaping catch on. OK, I'll start at the beginning: The conditions at New Britain Stadium were damp, to say the least. About an hour before game time, a brief but severe storm passed through. The infield remained in good condition thanks to the tarp -- more accurately thanks to the grounds crew pictured above -- but parts of the outfield (lacking the advanced drainage system of Target Field) were soaked. The grounds crew did a great job taking care of that issue, however, and the game started just over an hour late (one neat thing about minor league baseball is that it's very much an all-hands-on-deck mentality -- the same people helping with the tarp or the drainage might be some of the same people you encounter in the press box or the concourses later). Perhaps Rock Cats starter Trevor May was off his rhythm due to the delay, because he surrendered a long and loud homer on the very first pitch of the game. It seemed as if May would settle down, though, and fortunately had his very good curve going early on, but it wasn't going to be that easy. A control problem that plagued May ended up (more or less) costing him 2 more runs: in the second inning, he walked the #7 hitter with 2 outs, then gave up another no-doubter to right field. It was his only walk of the night -- accompanied by 6 strikeouts -- but it was damaging. On the whole, I'd call it an up-and-down performance for May. On the one hand, the struck out 6, only walked 1, and had flashes of excellent pitching. On the other hand, he allowed 2 long home runs, issued a costly 2-out walk that preceded a home run, and was over 50 pitches with only 1 out in the third inning. He ended up tossing 93 pitches to make it through 5 innings. Definitely not an awful performance, but also not the kind of performance that's going to make Terry Ryan pick up the phone and set May up in Rochester. His final line: 5 innings; 4 ER; 6Ks; 1 BB. 2 HR. Offensively, wow. Have you heard of this prospect the Twins have? Miguel something-or-other? I'm no baseball expert, but I sure have been to a ton of MLB and MiLB games. Sano's performance tonight ranks right up there with any individual performance I have ever seen: A long, frozen rope single to left field; a first-pitch homer; and an amazing 9th inning homer. And his one out was a long, long fly to center. Ridiculous. Boy does that guy know how to hit. In fact, I have video of all his at-bats on my YouTube channel. Check it out. Again, I apologize for the poor quality of the video and the finger(s) that may occasionally appear in the corner of the screen. Hey, I never said I was Steven Spielberg! Two funny things about Sano's at-bats this evening: his single was hit harder than either of the homers; and the flyout to center field probably traveled farther than either of the home runs. The power he generates is amazing. Jeez the guy is impressive. Back to the game and the other 20-some players on the team. The problem with tonight's game is that there wasn't nearly enough Rock Cats offense. 5 hits -- 3 from Sano; one from Josmil Pinto; 1 from Nate Hanson. Although Trevor May wasn't great tonight, he did deserve better performance from the other 6 guys in the lineup. I spoke to Rock Cats' manager Jeff Smith after the game. The obvious questions would have been about Sano. But what could Smith say besides "he's great" or "he's a rare talent." "Wow. He hit the ball hard and far tonight???" I can write crap like that (in fact, you're reading it!). Instead I asked about May. As I've written before, May's downfall typically has been issuing too many walks and prematurely driving up that pitch count. But what about tonight? Only 1 walk and 6 strikeouts -- peripherally good numbers. Smith stated: "Home run on the first pitch of the game, and just fell behind. . . . If you look back, [May] only gave up 5 hits, but his pitch count got up there pretty fast. . . . There were about 2 or 3 at-bats that the other team had that were about 10-pitch at-bats. It might have started 1-0, 2-0 [on the batters], and the next thing you know, a guy starts fouling pitches back. [May] didn't pitch that bad. A lead-off home run, and then an 0-2 home run." For the most part that's an accurate assessment. There were a couple very, very long at-bats. May wasn't bad by any means. I didn't get a chance to speak to him -- and I'm pretty sure he would not have been one to make excuses -- but you do have to wonder what happens to a starter after an hour-long delay. Especially when the starter gives up a first-pitch homer. Although May took the loss, there were plenty of good things about his performance tonight: first-pitch strikes seemed to be better; the curve was great, especially early in the game; the extremely wet conditions on the field didn't seem to affect his control; 6 Ks to 1 BB in 5 innings with 5 hits is a solid performance, excepting that 2/5 hits were homers. All in all, what a crazy night. I'll be honest: I wanted to see a Miguel Sano home run tonight. I got what I came for, and then some. I'll leave you with a couple funny Sano stats: he's 4th on the Rock Cats in home runs despite playing only 17 games for them. He has more homers than singles. He has 16 RBIs in 17 games. And get this, HE'S BATTING A LOUSY .236. What a freak of nature. Thanks for reading.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftOjgTqApzM/Uce1csJQRRI/AAAAAAAAAms/E4fKmCfKhk0/s320/Giftbasket.jpg You wake up hazy -- perhaps a little hung-over and still tasting those apple-tinis from the previous night. Across from you in the king size bed, an aging baseball superstar stirs, gently clutching a bear-skin blanket. His eyes open. He kisses you gently on the nose and says "that was nice." He informs you that he's called a Town Car to take you home. Derek Jeter then rises, stretches, and waves a nude hello to Manhattan from his apartment at the top of Trump Tower. You quickly grab your undergarments, what is left of your pride, and head down the elevator, wishing that he had given you time to at least brush your teeth or take an awesome Vine to show your friends. After you walk out the door of Trump Tower, you enter the black Lincoln Town Car. The driver says, "Good morning, Ms. Walter. Mr. Jeter has left something for you." Of course you're hoping that it's a key to his apartment (*his heart*), or his phone number. But no. To your surprise a cellophane-wrapped gift basket rests in the adjacent seat. After the initial disappointment sets in, you think, "OK, at least this jelly of the month club is going to be pretty awesome. I mean, I didn't think asparagus preserves would be good but I'm willing to give it a try." Then you look closer, and see the following: A Derek Jeter stamp-signed knock-off baseball. You're pretty sure it's not authentic because it's a little un-round and you don't remember "Rollings" being a legitimate baseball company. A gift certificate for a bikini wax. Jerk. A voucher to be a "seat filler" for the wealthy New York businessmen that don't occupy the seats behind home plate at Yankee Stadium. $5 worth of those McDonald's gift certificates you used to get when you were a kid. You're actually pretty happy with that one. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bT-jn-_T3pM/Uce4CAX92SI/AAAAAAAAAm8/lTeA9D-FvHw/s1600/Mcdonalds.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]"Thanks, Captain. Now I can get most of an Extra Value Meal." [/TD] [/TABLE]What you just read was a rendition (with artistic license) of what reportedly happened to a woman whom Jeter had taken home. After the Yankees' captain ditched Minka Kelly, he apparently was enjoying the single life. If you believe the story, Jeter failed to remember taking this particular woman home. When she got in the Town Car the morning after their second encounter, there, in the seat next to her, to her surprise, was the identical gift basket she had received after the first go-around. This leads to two somewhat logical conclusions: 1) Jeter does this for all or most of the women he takes home; 2) he did not remember that he previously had -- spent time -- with this lady. In terms of real-life, sports news, and the Twins-Yankees rivalry, this was, and still is, a "nothing story." As far as the Yankees go, I have a strong dislike for them. But I really respect Jeter. He's always seemed like a classy guy on and off the field, and has had one hell of a career. This story -- even if true, and that's a big if -- does nothing for me. But it is humorous. In the comments section, please share what other items Jeter could/should have included in the gift basket. Be creative and funny, but not disgusting. Or, what would be good items in a Twins one-night-stand gift basket? Embers giftcards, a night at the FantaSuites in Burnsville, wild rice?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftOjgTqApzM/Uce1csJQRRI/AAAAAAAAAms/E4fKmCfKhk0/s320/Giftbasket.jpg You wake up hazy -- perhaps a little hung-over and still tasting those apple-tinis from the previous night. Across from you in the king size bed, an aging baseball superstar stirs, gently clutching a bear-skin blanket. His eyes open. He kisses you gently on the nose and says "that was nice." He informs you that he's called a Town Car to take you home. Derek Jeter then rises, stretches, and waves a nude hello to Manhattan from his apartment at the top of Trump Tower. You quickly grab your undergarments, what is left of your pride, and head down the elevator, wishing that he had given you time to at least brush your teeth or take an awesome Vine to show your friends. After you walk out the door of Trump Tower, you enter the black Lincoln Town Car. The driver says, "Good morning, Ms. Walter. Mr. Jeter has left something for you." Of course you're hoping that it's a key to his apartment (*his heart*), or his phone number. But no. To your surprise a cellophane-wrapped gift basket rests in the adjacent seat. After the initial disappointment sets in, you think, "OK, at least this jelly of the month club is going to be pretty awesome. I mean, I didn't think asparagus preserves would be good but I'm willing to give it a try." Then you look closer, and see the following: A Derek Jeter stamp-signed knock-off baseball. You're pretty sure it's not authentic because it's a little un-round and you don't remember "Rollings" being a legitimate baseball company. A gift certificate for a bikini wax. Jerk. A voucher to be a "seat filler" for the wealthy New York businessmen that don't occupy the seats behind home plate at Yankee Stadium. $5 worth of those McDonald's gift certificates you used to get when you were a kid. You're actually pretty happy with that one. [TABLE=class: tr-caption-container] http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bT-jn-_T3pM/Uce4CAX92SI/AAAAAAAAAm8/lTeA9D-FvHw/s1600/Mcdonalds.jpg [TD=class: tr-caption]"Thanks, Captain. Now I can get most of an Extra Value Meal." [/TD] [/TABLE]What you just read was a rendition (with artistic license) of what reportedly happened to a woman whom Jeter had taken home. After the Yankees' captain ditched Minka Kelly, he apparently was enjoying the single life. If you believe the story, Jeter failed to remember taking this particular woman home. When she got in the Town Car the morning after their second encounter, there, in the seat next to her, to her surprise, was the identical gift basket she had received after the first go-around. This leads to two somewhat logical conclusions: 1) Jeter does this for all or most of the women he takes home; 2) he did not remember that he previously had -- spent time -- with this lady. In terms of real-life, sports news, and the Twins-Yankees rivalry, this was, and still is, a "nothing story." As far as the Yankees go, I have a strong dislike for them. But I really respect Jeter. He's always seemed like a classy guy on and off the field, and has had one hell of a career. This story -- even if true, and that's a big if -- does nothing for me. But it is humorous. In the comments section, please share what other items Jeter could/should have included in the gift basket. Be creative and funny, but not disgusting. Or, what would be good items in a Twins one-night-stand gift basket? Embers giftcards, a night at the FantaSuites in Burnsville, wild rice?

Last week, I was in the right place at the right time: the AA debuts of top Twins' prospect Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. One big takeaway from Sano's and Rosario's first couple AA games was that their reputations preceded them; in other words, pitchers knew who these guys were. Take a look at the (grainy amateur) video I shot of some early at-bats -- the pitches weren't even close. As a result, Sano and Rosario, but Sano especially, seemed to only get maybe 1 pitch per at-bat in his wheelhouse. I suspect this is a problem that has plagued him his entire career, and probably won't stop until he he has someone equally or more talented hitting behind him. Today I thought I would take a look at the very, very sample size that has been Sano's AA career. I want to see how pitchers are approaching his at-bats. As of the writing of this article, Sano has compiled 19 plate appearances for the Rock Cats: 1 hit, 6 walks, 3 Ks, and 9 other outs on balls in play. I'm going to use screenshots. As a caveat, please be aware that the Gameday information is imperfect: it's a good tool, but is, of course, subject to human error. That being said, let's take a look. 1: 5-pitch walk. Arguably 1 pitch to hit, and he fouled it off. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2vGxHB35FZw/Ub-snjZL1bI/AAAAAAAAAjI/5rnRM7Ts7q0/s320/IMAG0467.jpg 2: 2-pitch ground out to third http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-velJSvId9u8/Ub-s50fKY4I/AAAAAAAAAjU/342LdSl50PE/s320/IMAG0468.jpg 3: 3-pitch sac fly. All hittable pitches. 2 called strikes and the fly ball. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyqEvPejxIM/Ub-tH23kowI/AAAAAAAAAjc/Hhkp9ySBVPY/s320/IMAG0469.jpg 4: 4-pitch swinging K. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UWtp88yGBLo/Ub-t_PiJfZI/AAAAAAAAAjs/xDFgnCZ_0_s/s320/IMAG0470.jpg 5: 5-pitch sac fly. The 3 balls appeared pretty far off the plate. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KOjIGxnF6nQ/Ub-u1hWW4eI/AAAAAAAAAj0/NXWKnISWkqY/s320/IMAG0471.jpg 6: 6-pitch called strikeout. Looked like some hittable pitches up in the zone. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l-2fZhDMJTQ/Ub-vyp7rBZI/AAAAAAAAAkE/aXslqW0i5hg/s320/IMAG0472.jpg 7: 5-pitch flyout to left. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQIvp_amxS0/Ub-wnfMTd3I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/yQDYXV-lPHc/s320/IMAG0473.jpg 8: 3-pitch flyout to right. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HzPzkKD5Pg8/Ub-xMzP9QsI/AAAAAAAAAkc/KQ0Topdj2FU/s320/IMAG0474.jpg 9: 1-pitch single to left. Looked like a good pitch to hit. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ifjHj--ISn8/Ub-xspkbxOI/AAAAAAAAAkk/YjtLGa0Vhyg/s320/IMAG0475.jpg 10: 2-pitch groundout to shortstop: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RMXtba-YdRE/Ub-ygfYf1KI/AAAAAAAAAk0/YFGGKKs7vU0/s320/IMAG0476.jpg 11: 5-pitch walk. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Cj9upCs5YM/Ub-zTEt3RMI/AAAAAAAAAk8/FoBqn6EFS9U/s320/IMAG0477.jpg 12: 3-pitch flyout to center. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mTOPnd2Qocw/Ub-z7BNAOMI/AAAAAAAAAlE/MUs0eD0pwt0/s320/IMAG0478.jpg 13: 8-pitch walk. Looks like he was consistently worked outside. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gT8kQGEwl5E/Ub-0vLuo22I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/Kr-AHR0-Fzc/s320/IMAG0479.jpg 14: 6-pitch walk. Again worked outside. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zoFq2006mPk/Ub-1xH9jeFI/AAAAAAAAAlg/qwhfnWDXes0/s320/IMAG0480.jpg 15: 6-pitch pop-out to first base. He was worked inside. Perhaps only the second or third plate appearance of thus far where a pitcher deliberately challenged him on the inner half. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H6SDwvwDxKE/Ub-5z-qn3rI/AAAAAAAAAlw/MEr9fpQyH2A/s320/IMAG0481.jpg 16: 6-pitch walk. Again worked inside by Harrisburg starter Blake Treinen. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ksazj0O5MM0/Ub-6hNP4nuI/AAAAAAAAAl8/xZ2o808wg8w/s320/IMAG0482.jpg 17: 3-pitch grounder to shortstop. Treinen went inside on the third pitch. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lI02T00D9sI/Ub-7KKETIQI/AAAAAAAAAmI/lk-KE2XpOKU/s320/IMAG0483.jpg 18: 3 called strikes. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9AdQyC8_VHE/Ub-7r_SxRnI/AAAAAAAAAmU/cfyaW493Ofg/s320/IMAG0484.jpg 19: 6-pitch walk. Check out those inside pitches. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Amf2Yefs4yc/Ub-8OjWwoOI/AAAAAAAAAmc/fKb_dOyI79s/s320/IMAG0485.jpg Some quick takeaways from this very small sample size: With the exception of the final game (appearances 15-19), teams are really working Sano outside. Not a big surprise. But the strange part is that the inside pitches, thus far, haven't produced big results. Sano is probably used to being pitched outside so much that the inside pitches might surprise him. Sano has swung at the first pitch in 7 of these 19 plate appearances. He has a strange, strange line of .091/.368/.091. This suggests at least 3 things: 1) the sample size is so small as to be meaningless; 2) Sano is not hitting yet; 3) he is reaching base via the walk at a high, high rate. He's not striking out at a higher rate than he did at High-A. Sano is taking good at-bats, even if they aren't ending with hits. He has only 1 one-pitch at-bat (it was his lone hit, by the way); he's averaging 4.3 pitches per plate appearance (for comparison, right now Joe Mauer is 6th in baseball with 4.24 pitches per plate appearance). My quick take: Sano is doing what he should be doing. He's seeing pitches from pitchers that are new to him; he's managing to reach base at a good clip despite not getting base hits; he's "just missing" -- his words not mine -- baseballs. In other words, just be patient. I'm curious what others think, or can glean, from these screenshots (again, taking them for what they are -- an imperfect tool). It's going to be interesting to see how pitchers plan to approach Sano as spring becomes summer, and as Sano eventually starts to see some of these guys a second time. It will also help matters greatly if those batting behind Sano prove a formidable threat.

Last week, I was in the right place at the right time: the AA debuts of top Twins' prospect Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. One big takeaway from Sano's and Rosario's first couple AA games was that their reputations preceded them; in other words, pitchers knew who these guys were. Take a look at the (grainy amateur) video I shot of some early at-bats -- the pitches weren't even close. As a result, Sano and Rosario, but Sano especially, seemed to only get maybe 1 pitch per at-bat in his wheelhouse. I suspect this is a problem that has plagued him his entire career, and probably won't stop until he he has someone equally or more talented hitting behind him. Today I thought I would take a look at the very, very sample size that has been Sano's AA career. I want to see how pitchers are approaching his at-bats. As of the writing of this article, Sano has compiled 19 plate appearances for the Rock Cats: 1 hit, 6 walks, 3 Ks, and 9 other outs on balls in play. I'm going to use screenshots. As a caveat, please be aware that the Gameday information is imperfect: it's a good tool, but is, of course, subject to human error. That being said, let's take a look. 1: 5-pitch walk. Arguably 1 pitch to hit, and he fouled it off. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2vGxHB35FZw/Ub-snjZL1bI/AAAAAAAAAjI/5rnRM7Ts7q0/s320/IMAG0467.jpg 2: 2-pitch ground out to third http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-velJSvId9u8/Ub-s50fKY4I/AAAAAAAAAjU/342LdSl50PE/s320/IMAG0468.jpg 3: 3-pitch sac fly. All hittable pitches. 2 called strikes and the fly ball. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyqEvPejxIM/Ub-tH23kowI/AAAAAAAAAjc/Hhkp9ySBVPY/s320/IMAG0469.jpg 4: 4-pitch swinging K. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UWtp88yGBLo/Ub-t_PiJfZI/AAAAAAAAAjs/xDFgnCZ_0_s/s320/IMAG0470.jpg 5: 5-pitch sac fly. The 3 balls appeared pretty far off the plate. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KOjIGxnF6nQ/Ub-u1hWW4eI/AAAAAAAAAj0/NXWKnISWkqY/s320/IMAG0471.jpg 6: 6-pitch called strikeout. Looked like some hittable pitches up in the zone. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l-2fZhDMJTQ/Ub-vyp7rBZI/AAAAAAAAAkE/aXslqW0i5hg/s320/IMAG0472.jpg 7: 5-pitch flyout to left. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rQIvp_amxS0/Ub-wnfMTd3I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/yQDYXV-lPHc/s320/IMAG0473.jpg 8: 3-pitch flyout to right. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HzPzkKD5Pg8/Ub-xMzP9QsI/AAAAAAAAAkc/KQ0Topdj2FU/s320/IMAG0474.jpg 9: 1-pitch single to left. Looked like a good pitch to hit. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ifjHj--ISn8/Ub-xspkbxOI/AAAAAAAAAkk/YjtLGa0Vhyg/s320/IMAG0475.jpg 10: 2-pitch groundout to shortstop: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RMXtba-YdRE/Ub-ygfYf1KI/AAAAAAAAAk0/YFGGKKs7vU0/s320/IMAG0476.jpg 11: 5-pitch walk. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Cj9upCs5YM/Ub-zTEt3RMI/AAAAAAAAAk8/FoBqn6EFS9U/s320/IMAG0477.jpg 12: 3-pitch flyout to center. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mTOPnd2Qocw/Ub-z7BNAOMI/AAAAAAAAAlE/MUs0eD0pwt0/s320/IMAG0478.jpg 13: 8-pitch walk. Looks like he was consistently worked outside. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gT8kQGEwl5E/Ub-0vLuo22I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/Kr-AHR0-Fzc/s320/IMAG0479.jpg 14: 6-pitch walk. Again worked outside. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zoFq2006mPk/Ub-1xH9jeFI/AAAAAAAAAlg/qwhfnWDXes0/s320/IMAG0480.jpg 15: 6-pitch pop-out to first base. He was worked inside. Perhaps only the second or third plate appearance of thus far where a pitcher deliberately challenged him on the inner half. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H6SDwvwDxKE/Ub-5z-qn3rI/AAAAAAAAAlw/MEr9fpQyH2A/s320/IMAG0481.jpg 16: 6-pitch walk. Again worked inside by Harrisburg starter Blake Treinen. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ksazj0O5MM0/Ub-6hNP4nuI/AAAAAAAAAl8/xZ2o808wg8w/s320/IMAG0482.jpg 17: 3-pitch grounder to shortstop. Treinen went inside on the third pitch. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lI02T00D9sI/Ub-7KKETIQI/AAAAAAAAAmI/lk-KE2XpOKU/s320/IMAG0483.jpg 18: 3 called strikes. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9AdQyC8_VHE/Ub-7r_SxRnI/AAAAAAAAAmU/cfyaW493Ofg/s320/IMAG0484.jpg 19: 6-pitch walk. Check out those inside pitches. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Amf2Yefs4yc/Ub-8OjWwoOI/AAAAAAAAAmc/fKb_dOyI79s/s320/IMAG0485.jpg Some quick takeaways from this very small sample size: With the exception of the final game (appearances 15-19), teams are really working Sano outside. Not a big surprise. But the strange part is that the inside pitches, thus far, haven't produced big results. Sano is probably used to being pitched outside so much that the inside pitches might surprise him. Sano has swung at the first pitch in 7 of these 19 plate appearances. He has a strange, strange line of .091/.368/.091. This suggests at least 3 things: 1) the sample size is so small as to be meaningless; 2) Sano is not hitting yet; 3) he is reaching base via the walk at a high, high rate. He's not striking out at a higher rate than he did at High-A. Sano is taking good at-bats, even if they aren't ending with hits. He has only 1 one-pitch at-bat (it was his lone hit, by the way); he's averaging 4.3 pitches per plate appearance (for comparison, right now Joe Mauer is 6th in baseball with 4.24 pitches per plate appearance). My quick take: Sano is doing what he should be doing. He's seeing pitches from pitchers that are new to him; he's managing to reach base at a good clip despite not getting base hits; he's "just missing" -- his words not mine -- baseballs. In other words, just be patient. I'm curious what others think, or can glean, from these screenshots (again, taking them for what they are -- an imperfect tool). It's going to be interesting to see how pitchers plan to approach Sano as spring becomes summer, and as Sano eventually starts to see some of these guys a second time. It will also help matters greatly if those batting behind Sano prove a formidable threat.