FORT MYERS, FLA. – Five follow-ups to Monday's column on Miguel Sano being considerably larger as his first full season nears than the Twins hoped he would be:

  1. The message of the column was not that Sano failed to put in the offseason toil that would give him the best shot to make the transition to right field. The point was that Sano failed to put in the offseason toil that would give him his best chance at success, whether it was at right field, third base, first base or even at his best position, designated hitter.

    This was not the Twins "asking a 270-pound man'' to play right field. This was the Twins asking a man with a preferred playing weight of 255 that was fully reasonable to achieve to get there, and to now have to deal with him being 1 ½ stones larger than that.
  2. Question: "Why don't the Twins have Sano meet with a nutritionist?''

    The Twins have every possible service available for young players year-round at the baseball academy here in Fort Myers. This includes a full-time nutritionist who has worked with numerous players during the offseason.

    As a major leaguer, the Twins could only request Sano's participation. The teams only have control over big-leaguers from the official reporting date in spring training to the end of the season.

    There were meetings with Sano in the Dominican about cutting some weight from the 270 (alleged) at which he ended last season. It didn't happen.
  3. Question: "You heard David Ortiz say what a bad idea that it was to play a big man like Sano in the outfield, right?''

    Yes.

    I also heard Big Papi say that, at age 34, he was "20 over'' at the end of an offseason, went on a diet of healthier eating, and has stayed on it for the rest of his career as a superstar slugger.

    I also heard Big Papi say, "Eat good and you'll hit good.''
  4. The Sano "controversy'' does not revolve around Joe Mauer being entrenched at first base or Trevor Plouffe at third base. At the moment, Sano would be a pitcher's worst friend at third base and there's no evidence that he would be capable at first base.

    This revolves around Sano being "20 over'' at age 22, nothing else.
  5. As spring training started, I still thought it advisable that Sano – if he was going to be in the outfield – should be in left field and not right.

    I now bow to the Twins and the younger generation of analytics folks. It becomes very dramatic as you watch exhibition games and wait for fly balls to be hit to Sano, to be reminded how many fewer balls are hit to right than to left.

    And that looks like the best idea with Sano right now:

    If you insist on having him in the field, put him where he's going to get the lowest level of action. And that's not first, third or left.