Hunter already impressed with Sano's talent -- and attitude -- in outfield

FORT MYERS, FLA. — Miguel Sano hasn't made, or even attempted, a diving catch in right field yet, but he's looking forward to it. See, he's got bigger goals in mind. "I want a Gold Glove," said the jumbo-sized new outfielder.

He's found the right tutor, then.

Torii Hunter, newly retired as the Twins right fielder and newly hired as Sano's fielding coach, already owns nine of the shiny trophies. And on Sunday, took his 22-year-old apprentice to a practice field shortly after dawn and proceeded to critique every move, catch and throw. Hunter and coach Butch Davis hit the 263-pound Sano hot ground balls and soaring fly balls, then broke down his mistakes and adjustments after each one.

The effort, Hunter said, paid off almost immediately. "Everything I told him in the morning, he was trying to apply it in the outfield" during the day's full-squad workout. "You can tell the difference between a guy who wants it and a guy who doesn't."

Sano insists he's the former, despite being an infielder since signing with the Twins seven years ago. "I want to be one of the best outfielders. I'll be working really hard, every day in the morning," Sano said. "If I listen, 100 percent, to what [Hunter] says, I can learn a lot."

That's the idea, which is why Hunter is in uniform again, just five months after quitting the game. His first project, during his 10 days in training camp, is a critical one for the Twins, considering the raw hitting ability Sano has shown in just 80 major-league games. But Hunter said Sano, despite dropping a fly ball on the run and letting a hard grounder pop out of his glove, is already farther along than people realize.

"He looks good, actually," Hunter said after Day 1 of his one-on-one coaching. "I'm trying to help him with the mental side, because he [already] has the physical ability to do it. He can run, he's athletic, he has a good arm — he has everything you need."

And that includes the understanding that becoming an MLB-caliber fielder will take time. Sano is motivated, Hunter said, by all the skeptics who say he's too big and inexperienced to handle the position.

"He's serious. He wants to prove a lot of people wrong," Hunter said. "He wants to show you he can run, he can throw, make adjustments, make plays."

His footwork is already pretty good, Hunter said, a result of having played third base for years. Sano said he realizes that the most work he needs will be on balls over his head, but he got plenty of practice on Sunday.

"He needs to get playing time to get comfortable out there," Hunter said. "It takes time. Rome wasn't built in a day. He's not going to get it [completely] this year, but eventually he will over time."

Manager Paul Molitor understands that timetable. Heck, he lived it. In 1982, the Brewers switched him to third base, a position he had never played before, and "I was able to kick around about 32 balls or so [he actually committed 29 errors] at a new position," he said. "So I was an infielder. So I understand there are things you have to be patient with."

He hopes fans will, too. "There will be misplays, but this is where patience comes in, not only for yourself but what you have to preach to other people who are watching," Molitor said. "We're trying to tell him we're not expecting perfection. If he misreads a ball or throws to the wrong base, [we'll remember] it's just kind of the development."

For now, though, Molitor and Hunter are encouraged that Sano has accepted, even embraced, the move and is so determined to get better.

"I heard he's moving around well out there. He's talking about getting his body ready, and taking it as seriously as he possibly can," Molitor said. "Getting the effort out of him is a good thing, because this spring is going to go really fast for him."