Is it time for the Minnesota Twins to move on from Sano at third base?

Miguel Sanó has been a part of the plan for the Minnesota Twins for nearly ten years now, but after another slow start, is it time for a change?

The Minnesota Twins have been off to one of the hottest starts in team history. By notching their 50th win last Saturday, they have a firm hold on the American League Central. They are a team without many major weaknesses, but the Twins production from the hot corner has been subpar.

Defensively, the Twins third basemen have combined for a fielding percentage of .954, good for 19th in the league per Baseball Reference’s Defensive Metrics. Offensively, it’s even uglier. Miguel Sanó and Marwin González have combined for a .241 batting average and 108 strikeouts to only 34 walks. Granted, there’s been a combined 18 homers, but the whole team is hitting them.

After yet another disappointing start to for Miguel Sanó, is it time for the team to look elsewhere?

When Miguel Sanó was signed in 2009, he was hailed as one of the next great hitters. The Twins looked to have pulled off a stunner, landing a star from the Dominican Republic and outbidding multiple other teams to sign him. He immediately was ranked in the Twins top three prospects and the leagues’ top 100 prospects (even climbing as high as #6), and held that ranking until he was called up in 2015.

Once getting the call, he proceeded to rake right away. He hit .269 with 18 home runs in only 80 games and made an all-star team two years later, hitting .264 with 28 HR and 77 RBI. Sure, his strikeout rate was nearly 36% and his defense was a negative, but at least Sanó was hitting. The Minnesota fanbase starving for a talented star finally got its wish appeared to finally have one.

Two years later, it seems that may be fading. Sanó has always been a boom or bust player, powering plenty of home runs while providing a sky high strikeout rate, but this year it’s been especially the case. Sanó has swung his way to nine home runs and a .851 OPS, a mark that would put him in the leagues’ top 50 and 100 points over the league average, per ESPN. His K% of 41.7 would lead the league if he was eligible, and his batting average of .216 speaks for itself.

*All Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted*