I’m Calling Him Sayonara Sano

Miguel Sano, 22, was named the American League player of the month of August and it was a no-brainer.

Since being called up by the Twins on July 2, Sano has been the man. In 51 games in the majors he has 15 homers and 42 RBI. In 66 games in the minors this year he had 15 homers and 48 RBI.

I'm calling him Sayonara Sano because when he connects with the baseball it's usually bye-bye. I did some checking and his career minor league numbers were 105 homers in 445 games, or a home run about every four games. In the majors, his 15 homers in 51 games computes to a little better than that.The 22-year-old has struck out a lot, but so did Harmon Killebrew and he's in the Hall of Fame.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not enshrining him yet, but it's been very impressive. Remember 21-year-old Byron Buxton was the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. Buxton is struggling mightily at the plate. He's hitting about .179.

In the past month, Sano is hitting .293 against lefties and .298 against right-handed pitchers. He's hitting .337 at home and .258 on the road. Combined he's hitting .316.

In 72 games in the minors Buxton hit .305 and his career minor league average is .301.

If the Twins can get Buxton close to his minor league numbers, then look out. Buxton showed some power too in the minors, with seven homers, 13 triples and 10 doubles. He was also 22 of 25 in stolen bases and is one for three at the Major League level.

Sano has at least one hit in eight of the past 10 games he's played in the majors. See why I call him Sayonara Sano?