The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Sports

May 20, 2012

Thoma: Sano's time will be sooner rather than later

The Free Press

— Miguel Sano is killing the Midwest League.

The Beloit Snappers third baseman leads the league in home runs and RBIs, is second in slugging percentage and fifth in on-base percentage. The only hitter in the same statistical range as the Twins' top prospect is Collin Walsh of Quad Cities (a St. Louis affiliate), and Walsh is repeating the low-A league at age 23, spends most of his time as a designated hitter and didn't merit a mention in Baseball America's Prospect Handbook.

Sano is almost certainly the best player in the league. The question is, should the Twins push the Dominican 19-year-old up a level, to high-A Fort Myers in the Florida State League?

The Twins don't often interrupt a season in low A. Ben Revere flirted all season in his year at Beloit with .400, but the Twins didn't move him up.

I watched Sano in two games last week. He had one hit in the two games -- a rocket past the shortstop -- and his average has been declining in recent days.

Two games of observation is hardly decisive, but what I saw was a hitter looking for fastball strikes and not getting them. He was getting offspeed strikes and breaking balls, and not doing much with them.

If this persists, then Midwest League pitchers still have something to teach Sano. My guess is that they won't be consistent enough with that approach to keep him down long. His numbers will soon jack back up, and the organization will have to find a fresh challenge for him.

With the glove

Sano's season has been marked by a statistical race between his bat and his glove: Will he hit more homers than he commits errors, or vice versa?

He was at least passable defensively in the two games I saw, although I didn't see him forced to make a play on a bunt or slow roller. He did make a nice back-handed play on a grounder down the line, and he showed a strong arm.

I did sense some deliberation on his part with his footwork after fielding the ball -- making certain he was balanced and fully under control before making his throw. I don't know how many of his errors have come on throws, but he did not, in the games I saw, make a bad throw -- nor did he make a throw on the run or in a hurry.

He made one diving stop on a ball but was unable to get the ball to second in time for the forceout.

Defensively, Sano is certainly a work in progress. That would not appear, on its own, to be reason to keep him in Beloit. The throw from third base is the same distance in every league.

Eddie Rosario

Last season, Sano and teammate Eddie Rosario tore up the Appy League. They are teammates again, but Rosario is not keeping up with Sano in the power stats this time around.

The left-handed hitter is hitting above .280, however, and seems to be adjusting well to second base (he was strictly an outfielder until last fall's instructional league).

Rosario played in only one of the two games I saw in Beloit; he went hitless and was unchallenged in the field. I had hoped to at least see him essay a double-play pivot, but the opportunity never arose.

Off what I know, Sano may yet force a mid-season promotion to a higher level. Rosario is doing well, but not so well that there's nothing more for the league to teach him.



Edward Thoma can be reached at 344-6377 or at ethoma@mankatofreepress.com. His Baseball Outsider blog is at fpbaseballoutsider.blogspot.com <http://fpbaseballoutsider.blogspot.com> . Follow him on Twitter @bboutsider.

 

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