A fitter Miguel Sano showing Twins he's ready to take next step in career

One of Miguel Sano's goals during the offseason was to get in the gym with a personal trainer. And, on Friday, he showed off a more muscular body that he said was about 15 pounds lighter than last year.

Sano also wanted to work on his swing and hone his skills at third base. He did that, too. Former major leaguer Fernando Tatis helped him with his glovework and gave him some advice on how to drive the ball to the opposite field more.

The Twins' power-hitting prodigy realized late last season that he can't just talk about being a great player. So he hopes his offseason training helps him take the next step in his development.

"Last year I learned that it doesn't matter how good or bad you are," he said. "You have to concentrate on working hard."

Sano wants to move on from the past two seasons, during which he batted .249 with a .346 on base percentage, and had 43 homers, 118 RBI and 297 strikeouts in 196 games. He struck out 221 times through his first 150 games, most ever for that time frame.

Sano is going to strike out a lot. But that doesn't have to stop him from becoming an offensive force, which he wants to become.

"New Miguel Sano," he said with a smile.

Twins General Manager Thad Levine was in the Dominican Republic to help unveil the new academy the team is sharing with Philadelphia in Boca Chica. Sano was on hand for the ceremony last week, and Levine made sure to chat up the young slugger.

"We really want to get around to all of our players and get to know them personally, but he in particular," Levine said. "I think he's at an interesting crossroads in his career. From a scouting perspective, from watching him on video, from watching him against teams in the past — which is really my lion's share of knowledge about the person — he comes across as an übertalented player, a special, special talent.

"When you then hear everyone talk about him anecdotally, there seems like there's great room for him to achieve more than he has achieved. Meeting the person, I think you see a drive and a passion and energy."

It's hard to believe that Sano would be at a crossroads at age 23. He has been highly touted since the Twins signed him in 2009, but his path to greatness has had its detours. He missed all of 2014 because of Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. He entered the 2015 season grieving the death of his daughter, Angelica, who lived only one week because of a heart defect.

Sano batted .269 with 18 homers and 52 RBI in 80 games in 2015, his debut year. Last season, he hit .236 with 25 home runs and 66 RBI in 116 games. He also was moved to right field, where he struggled. The Twins moved him back to third base, where he committed 15 errors in 42 games.

One thing that Levine told Sano during their meeting in the Dominican Republic is that his combination of youth and physical tools should not land him at designated hitter.

"The meaningful part of our conversation is how does he commit to becoming a complete player," Levine said. "The power speaks for itself, the offensive prowess, the intimidation speaks for itself. But I believe he can become a very talented defensive player. I see a plus athlete with a plus arm, and I want to make sure that he knows that we see him as a valuable contributor at third base.

"He's too young, he's too athletic, he's too dynamic for him to be relegated to being a DH at this stage of his career."

Sano attempted to address his issues during the offseason. He said he weighs around 265 pounds and has turned fat into muscle. He's pleased to be back at third base after spending last offseason trying to learn a new position. He's also the father of a 3-month-old son, Dylan.

Now Sano is at TwinsFest, excited to see teammates and eager to put the past two years behind him.

He even pointed out that the 1990 Twins finished last in the division before winning it all in 1991.

"That means this year we could win," he said, "But we have to play the game, focus, catch the ball, do our job."