Miguel Sanó

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Jean and the second or maternal family name is Sanó.
Miguel Sanó

Minnesota Twins – No. 22
Right fielder / Designated hitter
Born: (1993-05-11) May 11, 1993
San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 2, 2015, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
(through May 2, 2016)
Batting average .267
Hits 99
Home runs 21
Runs batted in 63
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Miguel Ángel Sanó Jean (born May 11, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was considered to be one of the best prospects in baseball, and made his MLB debut on July 2, 2015.

Background

Miguel Sanó was born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, to a poor Haitian and Cocolo family.[1][2] He chose to begin to play baseball with the name Sanó, his mother’s family name over using his official surname of his father, which is Jean, out of respect to the Dominican Republic.[3] He was discovered at a young age, and worked with scouts to develop his talent.[1] In early 2009, Major League Baseball conducted an age investigation, a prerequisite for every player signed in Latin America, that confirmed Sanó’s identity but could not verify his exact age.[4] Sanó claimed to be 16 years old, but there had been rumors in the Dominican Republic that he was older.[5][6] Twins then-general manager Bill Smith stated that "Sanó’s age and identity have probably been scrutinized more than any player in the history of the Dominican Republic,"[5] and the issues and difficulties involved actually caused Sanó to lower his asking price from the $5–6 million bonus he was seeking when the international signing period first opened.[7][8]

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the first team to offer Sanó a deal, and appeared to be his most ardent suitor, but negotiations between the two sides were at a standstill after agent Rob Plummer rejected a $2.6 million offer from the team and their Director of Latin American Scouting, Rene Gayo.[9][10][11] Sanó elected to sign with the Twins over many other teams. Besides the Pirates, the Cleveland Indians also expressed interest in Sanó, and even had him come to their academy in the Dominican Republic for a workout session.[12] The Baltimore Orioles pursued Sanó for a short time; however, they believed his value was well below his $3 million price tag.[13][14] Other interested teams included the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.[7]

On September 29, 2009, Sanó stated that he would sign a Major League Baseball contract with the Minnesota Twins,[15][16] which included a $3.15 million signing bonus.[5][9][13] The bonus was the largest for a Latin American player from outside of Cuba in 2009, and the second highest bonus ever for a Dominican amateur, second only to the $4.25 million the Oakland Athletics paid right-handed pitcher Michael Ynoa in 2008.[9] It was also the highest international signing bonus in Twins history,[5] more than the Twins spent on 70 international prospects from 2006-2008 combined.[4] Sanó’s deal surpassed the $3 million the Yankees gave catcher Gary Sánchez.[4] The contract was contingent upon Sanó receiving a visa from the United States,[9] and on October 20, 2009, Sports Illustrated reported that Sanó was issued a work visa by the United States government, clearing him to play professional baseball;[17] this was later confirmed by the Twins on December 5.[18]

Sanó is also one of the subjects of the 2012 feature-length documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero.[19] The film follows Sanó through his controversial signing period in 2009. The film is directed by Jonathan Paley, Ross Finkel and Trevor Martin, narrated by John Leguizamo, and produced by Bobby Valentine. It premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2011 and had a theatrical release in theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Minneapolis in July 2012. The film was screened from July 13–19 in Minneapolis by the Film Society of Minneapolis/St. Paul in the St. Anthony Main Theater.[20]

Baseball career

Sanó with the Fort Myers Miracle in 2013

Prior to the 2011 season, Sanó was rated the third best prospect in the Twins' minor league system by Baseball America.[21] Sanó spent 2011 playing third base and shortstop for the Elizabethton Twins, the Twins rookie league affiliate in the Appalachian League, hitting .292 with 20 HR and 59 RBI. Following the 2011 season, Sanó was rated the top prospect in the Appalachian League by Baseball America,[22] the top Twins prospect by Baseball Prospectus[23] and Baseball America,[24] and the 18th best prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America.[25][26]

Sanó spent 2012 with the Class-A Beloit Snappers of the Midwest League. He transitioned fully to third base, and general manager Terry Ryan stated that the team hopes to move Sanó closer to the major leagues soon.[27] However, his developing defense and propensity for striking out have the Twins making sure not to rush his path through the minors.[28] Sanó hit .258 with a .373 OBP, and led the Midwest League with 28 HR and 100 RBI. Following the 2012 season, Sanó was rated the second best prospect in the Midwest League by Baseball America,[29] the second best Twins prospect by Baseball Prospectus,[30] and the top Twins prospect by Baseball America.[31] He was also rated the 12th best prospect in the game, as well as the top third base prospect, by MLB.com.[32]

On June 9, 2013, Sanó and Eddie Rosario were promoted to the New Britain Rock Cats of the Class AA Eastern League. He compiled 35 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a .280 batting average overall. At the end of the 2013 season, MLB.com ranked him as the third best prospect in the league, and second in the Minnesota Twins organization behind only Byron Buxton. The Twins invited Sanó to spring training in 2014.[33] During spring training, Sanó tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, and required Tommy John surgery. He missed the 2014 season in recovery.[34] Sanó began the 2015 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League, and batted .274 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs through the end of June.[35]

The Minnesota Twins promoted Sanó to the major leagues. He recorded a hit in his major league debut on July 2, 2015.[35] Sanó played primarily as a designated hitter. He won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Month Award for August 2015, and hit 18 home runs in 80 games for the Twins for the season. He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year Award balloting. In 2016, Sanó is working to become a right fielder.[36]

References

  1. 1 2 Cypher, Luke. Haitian Sensations: Behind the rise of the Haitian-Dominican player, ESPN The Magazine. Published March 10, 2009 By Luke Cyphers | ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Rep. Dom. : Le champion continental dominicain en Taekwondo est d’origine haitienne | Anmwe". News.anmwe.com. December 8, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Miguel Jean, SS, Minnesota Twins". Kffl.com. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Segura, Melissa. Twins sign top Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sanó, Sports Illustrated. Published September 29, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Christensen, Joe. Dominican prospect accepts $3.15M deal with Twins, Star Tribune. Published September 29, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  6. ↑ Kubatko, Roch. Keeping your Sano-ty, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Published September 22, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Miguel Angel Sanó lowers asking price, NBC Sports. Published September 29, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  8. ↑ Gleeman, Aaron. Baseball Daily Dose: High Five For Buchholz, KING-TV. Published September 29, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Arangure Jr., Jorge. Minnesota Twins to sign Dominican Miguel Angel Sanó for $3.15M bonus, ESPN. Published September 29, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  10. ↑ Kovacevic, Dejan. Pirates Notebook: Gayo turns page after Sanó, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Published October 1, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  11. ↑ Starkey, Joe. Pirates erred on Sanó, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Published October 9, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  12. ↑ Sims, Damon. Cleveland Indians have Miguel Angel Sanó, a 16-year-old Dominican high on their signing-priority list, The Plain Dealer. Published June 13, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  13. 1 2 Zrebiec, Jeff. Bullpen makeover on the way for O's, Baltimore Sun. Published September 30, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  14. ↑ Melewski, Steve. Slow go on Sanó right now, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Published July 20, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  15. ↑ Rogers, Phil. Mark Reynolds valuable even with record strikeouts, Chicago Tribune. Published October 4, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  16. ↑ Smith, Kelsie. Agent says Twins' deal with 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Miguel Sanó includes $3.15 million bonus, Fox Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  17. ↑ Segura, Melissa. Vaunted Twins signee Sanó receives work visa, Sports Illustrated. Published October 20, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  18. ↑ Rojas, Enrique. Sanó’s work visa completes Twins deal, ESPN. Published December 5, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  19. ↑ Passan, Jeff. Story of Miguel Sanó chronicles ugly, sleazy side of baseball's Dominican Republic talent pipeline, Yahoo! Sports. Published July 2, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  20. ↑ Scheib, Ronnie. Film Reviews - "Pelotero", Variety. Published November 27, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  21. ↑ Manuel, John. 2011 Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects, Baseball America. Published November 23, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  22. ↑ Eddy, Matt. 2011 Appalachian League Top 20 Prospects, Baseball America. Published September 21, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  23. ↑ Goldstein, Kevin. Future Shock: Twins Top 11 Prospects, Baseball Prospectus. Published November 3, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  24. ↑ Manuel, John. 2012 Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects, Baseball America. Published January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  25. ↑ 2012 Top 100 Prospects, Baseball America. Published February 21, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  26. ↑ Long, Chris. Meet Twins Top Prospect Miguel Sanó, KSTP-TV. Published May 31, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  27. ↑ Mackey, Phil. GM Terry Ryan hopeful top prospect Miguel Sanó can move up ladder soon, 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Published May 14, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  28. ↑ Miller, Phil. Twins won’t rush prospect Sanó, Star Tribune. Published May 31, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  29. ↑ Callis, Jim. 2012 Midwest League Top 20 Prospects, Baseball America. Published October 2, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  30. ↑ Parks, Jason. Prospects Will Break Your Heart: Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects, Baseball Prospectus. Published November 15, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  31. ↑ Manuel, John. 2013 Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects, Baseball America. Published November 20, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  32. ↑ Mayo, Jonathan. 2013 Prospect Watch, MLB.com. Published January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  33. ↑ Berardinomberardino, Mike. "Twins' spring invitees: Byron Buxton, Miguel Sanó, Alex Meyer". TwinCities.com. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  34. ↑ Velle, La. "BREAKING: Miguel Sanó to have Tommy John surgery | Twins Insider". StarTribune.com. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  35. 1 2 "Minnesota Twins calling up Miguel Sano". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  36. ↑ Scoggins, Chip (February 15, 2016). "The inside story: How the Twins found Miguel Sano". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2016.

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