Miguel Sano Call Up: Fantasy Impact

The subject of the documentary Pelotero will finally make his major league debut for the Twins as the news came down that Miguel Sano would be called up from AA as the corresponding move to the demotion of Kennys Vargas. Sano is hitting .274/.374/.544 on the season with 15 home runs, 48 RBI, and 18 doubles in 66 games.

With the demotion of Kennys Vargas being the key move here, I would assume that the plan is for Sano to serve as the primary designated hitter. On the season, the team has gotten a .663 OPS from their designated hitters, with Vargas serving as the DH primarily and otherwise using the spot to get veterans Torii Hunter and Joe Mauer rest. It's possible that Sano will also see time at third base, allowing the team to rest Trevor Plouffe but still keep him in the lineup as the DH. It's also conceivable he could get time at first base, but hasn't played a game there since 2012.

Short-term, Sano should be a decent source of power. He could provide 10-15 home runs down the stretch if he comes up and hits reasonably well, although that's hardly a guarantee with any prospect. The most reasonable scenario is that he probably hits 5-10 home runs the rest of the way, with a .250-.260 batting average and a solid OBP. That should definitely be enough to keep him in the lineup, and make him interesting in a number of formats.

Long-term, Sano was going to be my #3 fantasy prospect in my midseason update, and is worth grabbing in all formats. The potential is still there for Sano to be a 30+ home run hitter with a .270 batting average each year. The question with future years will be regarding his position eligibility. If he doesn't get to the right amount of games played at 3B, he could end up as a UT only, which would hurt his value slightly until he can reestablish that eligibility.

Something else of note is the fact that in Yahoo, Sano has both eligibility at third base and shortstop (a position he has not played since 2011). He can be a top 15 performer at either of those positions down the stretch, with the upside for even more. He's worth grabbing in nearly every format given the drop in power across the majors.