Fansided

25 most important stars for MLB playoffs

By Joshua Sadlock

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees follows through on a sixth inning home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 21: Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees follows through on a sixth inning home run against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on September 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 15: Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates a home run against the Cleveland Indians on September 15, 2019 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 15: Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates a home run against the Cleveland Indians on September 15, 2019 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /

17. Miguel Sano

After a rocky two-year stretch that saw him deal with injuries, strikeouts and a sexual harassment accusation, Twins third baseman Miguel Sano righted the ship in 2019. The 26-year-old, projected by many as the next big power threat in the big leagues, delivered 34 home runs and 79 RBI in 105 games while maintaining a respectable batting average and big slugging numbers. The Twins are one of the league’s biggest surprises — maybe ever — but that Sano turned it around is another big surprise for his detractors.

Sano was hitting a pedestrian .214/.301/.556 at the end of June with 56 strikeouts in only 118 official at-bats. Yes, the power was there, but it was becoming harder to justify giving the defense-challenged third baseman a starting job. Fortunately for Sano and the Twins, something clicked and he hit .271/.376/.618 over the final three months of the year with 25 home runs and 64 RBI in 74 games. He managed to curb his strikeouts down to a more manageable 103 in 262 at-bats.

If the Twins are going to knock off the Yankees in the ALDS, they will need at least a few big doubles or home runs from Sano. He seems locked in heading into the playoffs and forms a formidable duo with ageless Nelson Cruz.

Getting big production from Sano and Cruz is of the utmost importance for the Twins with Byron Buxton and possibly Max Kepler out of action for the ALDS. Surprising rookie Luis Arraez is also out with an ankle injury. No team is ever at full strength heading into the playoffs, but the Twins are missing a few big pieces of a lineup that blasted over 300 home runs this year. All will be fine, however, if Sano continues his powerful hitting.

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