Mishandling of Sano has been more his making than Twins' blunder

Kris Bryant is listed at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds. He is probably a few pounds heavier than that. He was the second selection in the 2013 draft. He spent his brief time in the minor leagues playing third base.

Bryant was kept in the minor leagues by the Chicago Cubs long enough in April 2015 to avoid getting a full season of major league service. He started 136 games at third base and 10 in the outfield for manager Joe Maddon last season.

Maddon has pushed Bryant (and other Cubs) toward versatility in 2016. Entering this weekend, Bryant has started 62 games at third base, 27 games in left field, 11 games in right field and three at first base.

There were some skeptics that this moving around could have a negative effect on Bryant at the plate.

Not so you would notice it. A year ago, he had 26 home runs and 99 RBI in 650 at-bats. He now has 26 home runs and 68 RBI in 401 at-bats.

Miguel Sano is listed at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds. He actually weighed in at 278 pounds for spring training, and he's still probably closer to that than 260.

So, yes, Sano has a thicker body than Bryant, but he runs OK, throws very well and has athletic skills.

Sano was running hard to first base on May 31 and wound up on the disabled list with a strain of his left hamstring. At that point, he was batting .235 with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs and striking out at a rate of 40 percent in 50 games played.

Sano returned to the lineup at third base on July 1. He has made 26 starts at third base. The move back to his long-time minor league position has not changed his performance at the plate: The average is slightly higher, .248, and the power production is lower, four home runs and 15 RBI, and the strikeouts remain at 40 percent (although disturbingly high the past couple of weeks).

The Twins were disappointed when Sano gained seven pounds over the winter and reported for spring training at 278. They have been disappointed in some of his work habits during spring training, during the first two months of the season and since he returned to the lineup.

I tried to give a heads-up on the Sano issue with a column in March. The Twins finally went public with their disappointments in recent days – first with hitting coach Tom Brunansky in a radio interview on AM-1500, and then with manager Paul Molitor's comments before Thursday's early game in Cleveland.

Most on-line experts and commenters on public forums blamed any Sano shortcomings in his approach to getting ready for the season on the move to right field -- away from third base, the position at which he was trained and alleged to be comfortable.

The howling will intensify if the Twins go through with Molitor's suggestion that Sano could be the player to spend a short time in Class AAA Rochester, once third baseman Trevor Plouffe returns to the 25-player active list next week.

The current issues with Sano at third base have nothing to do with the 37 games he started in right field in April and May. He has hundreds of games of experience at third base, and mediocrity was his highest level of achievement in the field during those minor league days.

At its worst, Sano's time in right field did give him a chance to show some versatility – Kris Bryant in style, if not substance.

Miguel's main problem is not that he's been mishandled by the Twins. Miguel's main problem continues to be mishandling himself, by not preparing for today's game – today's one of 162 -- at anything close to the maximum of his abilities.