Miguel Sano entered the offseason with a diet and exercise plan to help him lose 20 pounds. That was the hope.
Sano smiled on Friday as he talked about his weight loss — all of 5 pounds, from 268 to 263.
"I lost like 5 pounds and really feel good like that," he said.
Well, he must plan to lose more weight during spring training then.
"No," he said. "I don't want to lose any more. Don't lose the pop."
That guarantees that the Twins will have one big body in right field when spring training opens next month, as Sano moves there after being the designated hitter last season. The transition will begin in earnest this week when he arrives in Fort Myers, Fla., to work out at the Twins complex.
After recording a commercial with Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins in Minneapolis on Monday, Sano will head to Florida to chase down fly balls before position players report on Feb. 26. Minor league field coordinator Joel Lepel, from Plato, Minn., will be on hand to help him.
Instead of covering ground with Torii Hunter in right field, center fielder Byron Buxton will spend camp patrolling the outfield with Sano.