Spring training: Sano makes early imprint on Twins
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Minnesota Twins shortstop prospect Miguel Sano trains at the Twins'' complex in Fort Myers, Fla.
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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It will take several years, realistically, for the Pirates to know how much they lost by failing last summer to sign Miguel Sano, the 16-year-old Dominican shortstop who was Latin America's top amateur prospect.
But the earliest indications from Sano's time with the Minnesota Twins, the team that did sign him, sure sound like a match for all those long-stated, lofty expectations.
One statement made even before Sano's arrival came in Baseball America's 2010 prospect rankings, which placed Sano at No. 4 in Minnesota's perennially rich system. The journal, which ranks players based on voluminous information from scouts, described Sano as having "thunder in his hands and forearms" and adding that he "could hit 30 home runs annually down the line."
Another statement, though it was one solitary afternoon, came from Sano on Wednesday when he made his first appearance in a Minnesota minor league game and lashed two singles.
Game: Pirates vs. Boston Red Sox, 1:05 p.m., McKechnie Field, Bradenton, Fla. LHP Paul Maholm vs. RHP Josh Beckett. Other pitchers: Vinnie Chulk, Brendan Donnelly, Evan Meek, Brian Burres.
TV, radio: None.
Camp roster: 53 players, including 28 pitchers, five catchers, 11 infielders, nine outfielders.
Key matchup: RHP Joel Hanrahan (elbow).
Of note: 17 days until the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park.
Jim Rantz, the Twins' long-time minor league director, watched it.
"We haven't had him around for long, but you can already see he's got tremendous upside with a lot of skill, a good frame, and he's going to fill out even more," Rantz said in an interview at Minnesota's minor league complex. "He's got all the tools, all the skills. I believe he's going to be exciting."
Most teams will keep newly signed Latin American prospects in their home countries for a year or two, but Rantz decided he wanted to see him at the first chance.
The Twins signed Sano for $3.15 million in September, and he was cleared for travel to the U.S. in December after an age and identity investigation was complete. He arrived in Fort Myers two weeks ago.
First Published March 19, 2010 12:00 am
