Twins Prospect Miguel Sano Shades of Miguel Cabrera: A Fan’s Projection

At just 18 years old, Miguel Sano sits atop of the Minnesota Twins' list of minor league prospects. While there's still plenty of time for something to go wrong, a fair number of experts are already comparing the young right-handed third basemen to Miguel Cabrera.

Last year, Sano logged 66 games with the Elizabethon Twins. In that span, he mashed a 20 home runs and drove in 59 RBIs, while hitting .292. An impressive season that saw the 18-year-old finish second in the league in number of HRs and third in RBIs, sluggings and OPS. But this youngster still has plenty of growing to do. While rolling through the Appalachian League, Sano also managed to strike out 77 times, more than once a game.

The Good:

At the plate, Sano's smooth swing propels the ball to all fields. A quick look at his power numbers show there's plenty to be excited about in that department. On the field, Sano got a great arm. He was actually signed as a shortstop with good hands and decent footwork before moving to third base.

The Bad:

At this point, Sano's youth is still relatively obvious. The finer points of the game are still somewhat elusive to him. His fielding percentage is on the rise, but still somewhat worrisome, and, as mentioned, the number of strikeouts has to come down. One must also take into account that at just 18 years old Sano is still growing. Right now, the converted shortstop has no problem prowling around the hot corner, but as he gets bigger (and he will) he may lose some of his agility, and thereby his ability to play 3B effectively.

The 2012 Projection:

Don't expect to see Sano in Minneapolis this year. Over the years, the Twins have proven very patient when it comes to developing players, so it may be 2013 or later before we see Sano make his big league debut. But as long as he continues to develop and progress through the minor league level, Sano could become an All-Star third basemen who routinely hits around .300 while clubbing 25+ home runs a year.

Few people enjoy fantasy baseball as much as Kent Lister. While the pros are doing calisthenics and playing long toss, he's scouring the latest ADP lists and working through yet another mock draft. Follow him on twitter @listerkent for a complete rundown of all his 2012 projections.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.