This is my second post on an international free agent. The first was on Gary Sanchez which you can find somewhere in the mess of many posts written here yesterday. Miguel Angel Sano is regarded by many as the top international free agent this year. That's saying something because the talent in this pool is said to be deeper than the past three years all together, at least that's what one scout has said.
Miguel Sano is a 16 year old shortstop standing at around 6'3 in height, with probably plenty of time left to fill out his frame. If he gets any taller or bigger (which is very likely) then he will probably become a third basemen or left fielder in the future. Sano is said to have a strong arm at shortstop, so it wouldn't make much sense to waste that at firstbase and he is flexible enough to avoid playing first base. Many scouts and people have made Gary Sheffield, Albert Pujols, Evan longoria, Hanley Ramirez comparisons when it comes to his body or future hitting ability. That's saying way too much if you ask me, comparisons like those are ridiculous as anyone would think. Nonetheless most scouts say he is a very special talent, and every team is said to be coveting him to some degree including the Yankees. One scout has even said that Sano was the Stephen Strasburg of the international signing period.
Here is what surprises me the most, the front-runners to sign Miguel Angel Sano are the Pirates and the Twins. Next in line would be teams like the Blue jays, Indians, Cardinals, Rangers, Orioles and the Yankees. You would think the teams with the most money would be the front-runners to sign Sano but that doesn't seem to be the case. For whatever reason the Cubs, Yankees, Redsox and the Mets aren't pursuing Sano as though he is the god of this talent pool. The Yankees don't even believe Sano is the most talented player in this period. I believe they have him ranked as second to Gary Sanchez. This doesn't mean that the Yankees won't sign Sano. God knows they have the money to do so. I'm hoping the Yankees can attain both Sanchez and Sano but lets work on getting one first. Sano's price tag is said to be somewhere over 3 million dollars. The Yankees have balked at going over 3 million dollars for Sano at this point, but that can change.
A source close to the situation said that there is a 50-50 chance the Yankees sign Sano. "If the price is 3 million,then yes".
Now here is my take on the situation. As much as I believe this guy is very talented, I would not be surprised if he doesn't even make it to the big leagues. Please remember that unless his age is falsified he is only 16 years old. Scouts have trouble grading 20-23 year olds, let alone grading someone who is only a sophomore in high school. However if the comparisons and the hype holds true then Sano will be a very good, if not all-star calibur player for whoever signs him. Here is a quote from another scout regarding Sano:
"If he is 16, I have never seen a 16-year-old with that type of body". What does that mean? This makes me sort of skeptical as to whether or not he really is 16 years old. However their have been several investigations going on to make sure that Sano is really 16, probably because he looks older and more mature as a person and baseball player. As the investigations continue there is less and less doubt about his age. DNA tests say that he is around the age of 16-17, so maybe people shouldn't be as skeptical. Miguel Angel Sano has even said "let them investigate," sounds like a confident prospect to me.
---UPDATE at 4:54pm
Sources in the Dominican Republic say catcher-Gary Sanchez has reportedly signed with the New York Yankees for 2.5 million dollars. Yankees officials will not confirm or deny this because the official signing date for players is July 2nd to sometime in late August. It sounds to me like the Yankees are getting Sanchez for a cheaper price than anticipated. Sanchez was reportedly going to get around 3.1-4 million dollars. That's about 600k-1.5 million dollars saved and could be used to go after Sano. If the Yankees were already willing to sign Sano for 3 million dollars why not throw in the money that was expected to be used on Sanchez to sign him. If 1 million dollars is the difference between the Yankees getting a special prospect into their farm system or the Pirates/Twins getting him then they are making a big mistake.
If you read my last post on Sanchez, I spoke about his agent not letting him play in live action, that has recently changed. Scouts still love the batting practice performances he puts on, but his swing is said to be a little longer in actual games. He is still very talented but he doesn't have the bat of Yankee prospect Jesus Montero. Granted he still has a lot of upside offensively and defensively, unlike Montero who isn't a good defender up to this point. Great news for Yankee fans!
With all this said, how badly do you want the Yankees to get Miguel Angel Sano on a scale of 1-10 and what do you think about everything I just said ? Is Sano worth the money ?
Hooray! For signing Gary Sanchez!
Recent Comments