Sanó continues tough workouts in downtime

March 31st, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS -- A newly determined showed up to Spring Training in February 2019 after he spent a full offseason aggressively working on his body -- and it showed in both his stature and his performance.

Though organized baseball activity remains ground to a halt due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it certainly looks as though the disruption hasn't stopped Sanó from working hard to stay in shape, as evidenced by a video posted to the Twins' Twitter account on Tuesday that showed a 30-second collection of the slugger's workout routine as he awaits the return of organized baseball activity.

Among the selection of weightlifting drills shown in the video, Sanó is seen doing deadlifts, dumbbell pushups and weighted lunges in an outdoor area, which likely helped to contribute to his muscular physique when he arrived in Fort Myers, Fla., for Spring Training nearly two months ago.

Sanó also emphasized his nutrition, agility and mobility in the new routine that he began with strength and conditioning director Ian Kadish when the Twins optioned him to Class A Advanced Fort Myers in June 2018. That paid off when he set new career-highs with 34 homers and a .923 OPS in an abbreviated '19 season.

"He’s actually in great shape," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Sanó at the start of Spring Training. "He came in and spent, again, for the second straight offseason, he’s worked incredibly hard. He’s moving well. I don’t think people tend to forget this, but I wonder if they do: He's an incredible athlete."

The Twins had enough faith in Sanó's determination and turnaround to award him with a three-year, $30 million contract extension during the offseason as he moved across the diamond to first base to accommodate the signing of Josh Donaldson. If this video is any indication, he's continuing to earn that trust through his work.