Former Twins All-Star slugger headed to Japan after strong showing in the Dominican League

Miguel Sanó signs contract with the Japanese team after impressive performances in the Dominican League

According to Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com, former Twins player Miguel Sanó is heading abroad to play in Japan. He signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball on Sunday.

Sanó last played in the MLB with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024. He hit .205/.295/.313 (73 OPS+) with two home runs and six RBI over 95 plate appearances with Los Angeles during the 2024 season before being released midway through the season.

Sanó impressed in the Dominican League this year, posting a 1.039 OPS with nine home runs in 24 games, which likely led to the Dragons’ interest in the former Twins slugger.

If Sanó can continue the success he had in the Dominican League in Japan, he could find himself on an MLB team again in the near future.

Sanó, who left Minnesota from the Dominican Republic in 2009, was once a highly regarded prospect in the Twins system. ranking so high ranked No. 4 overall in the game by MLB Pipeline.

Although Sanó made the American League All-Star team in 2017 and participated in the Home Run Derby, he never lived up to the Twins’ expectations. In eight seasons with Minnesota, the corner infielder posted 8.1 bWAR and a .234/.326/.482 (116 OPS+) slash line with 162 home runs. He was known to strike out a lot, as as a member of the Twins he struck out 1,042 batters in 694 games.

Sanó’s rookie season went well, as he was worth 2.3 bWAR with a .269/.385/.530 ​​(149 OPS+) slash line in 80 games. In 2016, he took a step back and posted a 108 OPS+ before his strong 2017 season. He had another down year in 2018, posting -0.4 bWAR in 71 games before having a strong 2019 campaign that saw him slash .247/.346/.576 (139 OPS+) with 34 home runs and 79 RBI.

Sanó was a decent hitter for Minnesota in 2020 and 2021, but not good enough to make up for his poor defense. Due to left knee inflammation, he played in just 20 games with the Twins in 2022, posting an abysmal 2 OPS+ in 71 plate appearances. He didn’t play in the MLB until 2023 before signing with the Angels.