Miguel Sano (1B/3B, MIN) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues

OWNED IN: 32% of leagues

ANALYSIS: After missing the first six weeks of the season, and coming off a year in which he slashed a lowly .199/.281/.398, it's not surprising that Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano is available in over two-thirds of leagues. But in his first forty games since returning on May 16th, Sano has quietly put up solid power numbers and is now worth an add in all leagues.

The biggest tool that Sano has been bringing to the party this year is the long ball, with his 13 HR since returning being tied for 7th in the league over the same period. And while his other counting stats aren't quite as good, 28 Runs and 24 RBI are both still good for top-50 totals. Make no mistake; if you're looking for ratio help, then Sano is likely not for you, as he's still only slashing .236/.321/.574. But the slugging percentage is a career high, and so is his .338 ISO, which is 76 points higher than his previous best.

To see how Sano has improved since last year's hot mess, it may be prudent to once again look at things from more than one angle. Or rather, at one angle in particular. Because it's not that Sano has joined the Launch Angle Revolution, it's more about getting back to the angle - and then some - at which he's been most successful. In Sano's first two seasons, his launch angle averaged 16.5 degrees, before dropping to 13.2 degrees in 2017, and finally to 12.9 degrees during last year's disaster. However, this year Sano has raised up to a career-high 19.9 degrees and is sporting a 17.6% barrel-rate that's the highest since his rookie year.

Eligible at both corners and batting in a powerful Minnesota offense, it looks like Miguel Sano has finally put a woeful 2018 behind him and is hitting the ball with more authority than ever. Pick him up soon, because the longer Sano hits like a top-50 batter, the shorter time he'll be on the waiver wire.