Miguel Sano didn't have a disastrous April last year, finishing with three homers and a .745 OPS in 101 plate appearances. Still, it was far from his level of production in 2015 and contributed, in part to the Twins' dreadful start (which carried over to a dreadful season).

This year? The Twins' win total through April is equal to what they had through late May a season ago. And Sano, to say the least, has been a huge part of that.

He's been devastating with runners in scoring position. He's hitting to all fields. When pitchers don't throw him strikes, he often makes them pay by taking rally-building walks. When they pitch to him, the ball ends up leaving his bat at 100-mph plus and often winds up in the seats.

It's the season Twins fans envisioned in 2016, a year late.

Then again, that pretty much sums up everything that has happened across the board for the Twins in 2017.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. mrand@startribune.com