Big-Name MLB Prospect Miguel Sano Making Huge Early Impression

Miguel Sano has not been the typical Dominican prospect.

From the moment he broke through as a ballplayer with mega upside, much of the baseball world knew of him. It works out like that when you are the focus of an acclaimed documentary detailing your journey from the island to the professionals.

Ballplayer: Pelotero debuted in 2012 and followed Sano from his time as an amateur to his signing with the Minnesota Twins for a $3.15 million bonus in 2009. At the time, it was the second-largest bonus ever for a Dominican amateur.

Now, more than five years after Sano was filmed and signed, he is living up to the hype that has followed him since he was 16—and even his age was the subject of controversy.

Sano debuted with the Twins on July 2, and he's been a steady force in their lineup as they attempt to chase down the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central and snatch a postseason berth for the first time since 2010.

Even in that short time, Sano has already been worth half a win, according to FanGraphs.

Sano went into Friday having hit between the fourth and sixth spots in the Twins lineup, mostly as a designated hitter. He has demolished major league pitching in his short time with the club, producing a .414/.528/.621 slash line with a 1.148 OPS, three doubles, a home run, seven walks and 10 strikeouts entering Saturday.

For a player of his age—he turned 22 in May—his plate discipline has been impressive, even if he did strike out three times Saturday.

"I think we all were kind of waiting to see the power, other than just the really hard line drives that we've seen him hit," Twins manager Paul Molitor told reporters earlier this month. "That was good to see. But I think we've been encouraged by the walks he's been taking. ... He's shown a nice combination of being aggressive and yet working the count."

Sano's power flashed brightly in the minors. He hit 35 home runs in 2013, and then after missing 2014 because of Tommy John surgery, he hit 15 in 66 games this year before being called up. Once his power starts to play in the majors—and it should, considering how prodigious it was in the minors—he will be a complete offensive force.

"

Miguel Sano is going to hit so many home runs.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 8, 2015"

Sano has not been so concerned with power. His focus seems to be staying within his swing and not venturing into the land of swinging for the fences.

"I don't feel like any pressure here," Sano told reporters after his first home run Tuesday. "The same baseball and when I go hit, I try to hit the ball the same way I try to hit [in the minors]. I don't try to do too much because if I try to do too much, I can pull the ball or something like that, a ground ball, a lot of strikeouts. Otherwise, I try to hit the ball and put in play."

The Twins could use whatever Sano gives them. Going into the weekend, they ranked ninth in the American League in isolated power (.143), 12th in OPS (.699), 13th in wRC+ (330) and 12th in home runs (73). It would also help if Sano continued walking, since the Twins were 13th in OBP (.305) and walk rate (6.7 percent) entering Saturday.

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

In order to improve those numbers, the Twins have gone the way of much of the league in promoting their coveted prospects this season.

First came Byron Buxton, who was rated as highly as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com and BaseballProspectus.com. He debuted on June 14 but has struggled to adjust to big league pitching. Entering Saturday, he was hitting .189/.231/.270 with a .501 OPS, no home runs and no RBI. He is currently on the disabled list with a thumb sprain.

Obviously, there is still plenty of hope, promise and potential for the 21-year-old center fielder.

But placed next to Sano at this point, there is little comparison. Sano has been exactly the boost the Twins needed when they finally summoned him after he posted a .918 OPS at Double-A Chattanooga this season.

The Steamer projection system had Sano playing 59 major league games this year and being worth a 0.7 WAR. ZiPS projected him to be worth 1.1. It's safe to say he will surpass those projections, even after his numbers correct and he descends back to Earth.

Sano has never been the typical prospect. From his courtships in the Dominican Republic as a teen to these early days as a Twin, Sano is showing what the fuss was all about.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired firsthand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball.