Minnesota Twins: 5 most important players in the second half

Miguel Sano

Miguel Sano‘s career in Minnesota has been hyped for some time now, but his first half didn’t instill confidence in a potential rebound campaign in 2019. After a season in which the Twins sent him down to High-A Fort Myers to get in shape, Sano committed himself in the offseason only to get hurt in his winter league team’s celebration in January.

Sano would miss all of spring training and the first month and a half of the regular season before returning to the lineup in mid-May. The third baseman’s return was welcomed, but the production hasn’t been what Twins fans have expected.

As Sano continued to get at-bats at the major league level, he fell into a deep slump which saw him go 5-for-43 (.116) with 25 strikeouts. Although three of his five hits were home runs, Twins fans became frustrated with a player who had shown elite hitting potential during his All-Star season in 2016 and hasn’t quite recaptured it since.

If there is good news, Sano hit .400 with 4 HR and 9 RBI in the final nine games of the first half and looked more comfortable at the plate. If the Twins are going to go anywhere in the second half, they’ll need Sano to find his game and be a major contributor for the highest-scoring offense in baseball.