Top 15 Prospects

Written by Andrew Kneeland

Tuesday, 01 December 2009 22:31

Jean

10. Miguel Angel Sano, SS/3B/OF, 16 years old

2009 stats: Did not play
Last year’s rank: Not ranked
Acquired: Un-drafted acquisition from the Dominican Republic in September 2009

For being perhaps the most-talked about Latin American prospect in baseball history, very little is known about Miguel Angel Sano. These murky waters can be partially blamed on the fact that Jean is just 16 years old. Although big for his age, the right-handed prospect still has room to fill out.

As of now, Jean is listed as a shortstop prospect, but there is little doubt that he will eventually be moved to either the hot corner or the outfield. At 6’3’’ Jean is very projectable and will likely lose most of his already-minimal speed as he matures, which will force him to be moved from the middle of the diamond. Mentally, Jean is reported to have no problems and apparently has a very impressive makeup.

Jean’s defense is nothing spectacular, and he likely won’t be receiving any Gold Gloves in the major leagues, but it is nothing to voice concern over. What made Jean worth the $3.15 million signing bonus he received was his excellent bat speed and abilities at the plate.

Various scouts claim that Jean has great power to all fields, which will only improve as he fills out. Not much more can be said about the 16-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic, but his status as an elite prospect obviously hinges on his ability to fill out and maintain his power.

Perhaps the most remarkable and noteworthy aspect of this signing, though, is that the Twins’ actually did it. They were rumored to be in the hunt for the uber-prospect from the Dominican Republic, but as soon as the price tag advanced over $3 million, few Twins fans thought Bill Smith would be willing to cough up so much for such an unproven prospect.

Instead, Smith remained in the race that he eventually won. Minnesota didn’t make a huge deal about the signing, but they showed an incredible desire to win, which was great to see. Regardless of how he pans out, the Twins deserve tons of credit for being willing to invest in Jean.

Ideal scenario: Jean will spend at least one full year with the GCL Twins, before steadily advancing through the organization. He could be with the Twins as soon as 2015.

Path to the majors: Like Bromberg, when Jean is ready for the big leagues, room will be made for him. You don’t give a guy $3.15 million and not give him every chance to succeed.