Slimmer Miguel Sano gets another chance in big leagues with Angels
Former Twins slugger Miguel Sano has reached a minor league agreement with the Los Angeles Angels, according to ESPN's Enrique Rojas.
Sano's minor league agreement includes an invitation to Angels Spring Training.
The 30-year-old has been playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic after not playing baseball in 2023. According to Baseball Reference, Sano has hit two home runs and struck out 30 times in 107 plate appearances this winter for Estrellas Orientales of the Dominican Winter League, and looks notably slimmer after a MLB career in which he struggled to maintain full fitness.
The Twins declined Sano's contract option following the 2022 season, in which he slashed only .083/.211/.133 in 71 plate appearances.
Sano made his major league debut with the Twins on July 2, 2015. Hitting nine home runs and driving in 26 RBIs, Sano won the AL Rookie of the Month award for the month of August 2015. He finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting that year.
Apr 26, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Miguel Sano (22) hits a single in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field.
© Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Sano earned his only All-Star game appearance in 2017 after hitting 21 home runs and driving in 62 RBIs with a .276 batting average before the break. Over the second half of the 2017 season Sano's batting average fell by 40 points while hitting just seven home runs while missing a month due to a shin injury.
While able to launch home runs, Sano struggled to make consistent contact at the plate finishing his eight years in Minnesota with a .234 batting average and striking out 1,042 times in 2,859 plate appearances.
