Hola, Miguel

The Tyler Mason Era and Miguel Sano Era came so close to overlapping.

Sano, one of the Minnesota Twins' top prospects, was officially called up from Double-A Chattanooga on Thursday and will debut with the Twins tonight. Sano will wear No. 22 for the Twins, who hope his bat (105 home runs in five minor league seasons) can help jump-start Minnesota's offense.

I guess it's not entirely true that Sano and I never crossed paths. I had my first encounter with the Dominican Republic native back in the spring of 2012. It was my first trip to spring training and by then Sano had been in the Twins' system for a few years. I wanted to do a story on the third baseman, who at that time was Minnesota's top prospect. (This was before they drafted Byron Buxton.)

I still remember sitting at a picnic table near the Twins' minor league facilities, with Sano on the other side. Even back then as a 19-year-old, Sano was huge. He's officially listed now at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds and looks more like a linebacker than a baseball player. Some worry that he'll outgrow third base, but the Twins remain confident he can hold down that spot.

My first interview with Sano was conducted entirely in Spanish, with a member of the minor league staff helping translate. Back then, Sano was quiet but confident. He talked about the process of working his way up through the minors.

Miguel Sano (center) stretches with Joe Mauer (left) and Torii Hunter)
during spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.

Three years later, here he is as a major leaguer -- and he's grown off the field, too. Sano is now much more comfortable with his English and conducts most of his interviews in his second language. It's always impressive to me when players from other countries put forth such an effort to learn the language, and Sano's progression with English has been remarkable. He's now even confident enough to joke around in English; this spring, after an early game in which he hit a line drive back up the middle that nearly decapitated the pitcher, he proclaimed (in English): "Little Miguel Sano is back!"

I'm not sure Sano has been little since he was born, but that's besides the point. It was a display of his fun-loving personality, one that I'm sure Twins fans will be quick to embrace. As Sano continues to master the English language, he'll no doubt become a fan favorite in Minnesota -- as long as he's producing on the field, that is.

That same attitude was on full display in the documentary "Ballplayer: Pelotero." If you haven't seen it yet, I'd highly recommend it. It chronicles what Sano and another Dominican teenager went through to try to get signed by a minor league team. In the documentary, questions of Sano's age are brought up, and we get a glimpse into what it's like to play in the impoverished nation with the hopes of one day signing a big league contract. The film is currently on Netflix, and if you're a Twins fan, it's certainly a must-watch. The filmmakers are also making a sequel titled "The Miguel Sano Story" and have followed Sano around since he signed. I had a chance to chat with them this spring and they said they planned to at least film until Sano reached the majors. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the release of the sequel.

It's been an exciting time for Twins fans, who have now seen the team's top two prospects (Sano and Byron Buxton) called up from Double-A in just a two-week span. Buxton struggled out of the gates, and it's certainly possible Sano could do the same thing. He'll no doubt strike out a decent amount; he had 68 strikeouts in 241 at-bats this season with Double-A Chattanooga. But if Sano gets a hold of a baseball, he can hit it a long way.

Since that first interview with Miguel several years ago, I've chatted with him a handful of times, including the day he found out last year that he had to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Despite the devastating news that he'd miss the entire season, Sano remained upbeat. That seems to be his personality -- always smiling and having fun.

When the Yankees were in town in 2013, I had the chance to talk to New York second baseman Robinson Cano, who is from the same town in the Dominican as Sano. Cano had nothing but great things to say about Sano and proclaimed: "He's got all the talents and the tools."

Cano, now with the Mariners, will visit Target Field at the end of July. The Twins hope Sano will still be there to face his friend. Either way, Minnesota fans should enjoy the prospect renaissance as the future continues to arrive.