ESPN’s David Schoenfield did some preseason forecasting this morning, naming Twins slugger Miguel Sano as the No. 1 player to watch in the AL Central this year.
In his breakdown, Schoenfield compares Sano’s swing to 2014 AL MVP and four-time All-Star Mike Trout.
“In some ways, he’s similar to Mike Trout, as he prefers the ball down in the zone, with a natural upper-cut in his swing,” Schoenfield says, “Unlike Trout, however, he was a dead-pull hitter as a rookie, with only one home run to the opposite field.”
ESPN shares a heatmap of Sano’s slugging percentage in the same article, which shows especially high numbers down and inside.
The ESPN list also included the Twins’ prospect Byung Ho Park at the No. 9 slot, referencing Park’s high hitting numbers as evidence that the South Korean could be a potential middle-of-the-order threat.
Schoenfield isn’t the only person taking notice of the Dominican power hitter either, as Sano’s potential in 2016 is already drawing some attention from the fantasy baseball community.
DynastyDigest has Sano listed at No. 5 in their third base rankings for the year, citing his “elite power potential”. CBS Sports’ fantasy division was similarly favorable in a write up from a few days ago, highlighting Sano’s walk rate and bestowing him with “Giancarlo Stanton-like upside.”
