Oct. 8: Dominican police spokesman Colonel Frank Duran Mejia tells Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes that Sano is not facing criminal charges. Furthermore, Duran characterized the incident as accidental in nature. Sano, according to Duran, was questioned by officer Argenis Emilio Gillandeux outside a night club because his truck did not have a license plate and because Sano was not carrying his driver’s license on him. After speaking with Gillandeux, he backed up his truck without realizing that the officer and his motorcycle were still parked behind him. Gillandeux has no plans to press charges, Duran emphasized in a statement:
“The citizen, Miguel Sano, was sent today to the traffic court to comply with the due process in these types of cases. It is a formality when someone is injured in a vehicular accident. It is important to clarify that the policeman declared that the accident was not intentional, and that Sano hit his leg when Sano was reversing his vehicle to leave the place and that the baseball player was the first to provide help and never abandoned the scene. Neither the agent nor the national police plan to charge Sano with anything.”
Sano, according to Duran, transported Gillandeux to the hospital himself and actually knew the officer personally from the pair’s days in school.
Oct. 7: Twins third baseman Miguel Sano was detained at a police station in his native Dominican Republic after a traffic accident on Sunday morning, according to Spanish-language news outlet El Nuevo Diaro (via Phil Miller of the Star-Tribune). A police officer “ordered Sano to stop at a checkpoint, but he continued [and] ran over the uniformed officer, leaving him with serious damage,” Miller writes. The officer suffered a fractured fibula and tibia after Sano ran over his foot, according to a police report which circulated online, after Sano and his wife were stopped in a car without license plates. Sano offered to pay for the damage to the officer and was eventually released, per a report from Spanish-language outlet Diario Libre (via Miler).
“We have been made aware of the situation involving Miguel Sano in the Dominican Republic. We are still gathering facts at this point,” a Twins spokesperson told Bob Nightengale and Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today.
At this point, it’s unknown if Sano will face any legal punishment or discipline from Major League Baseball for this. Nonetheless, it’s an unwelcome development for the Twins, especially after Sano was accused of assault last offseason. However, Sano didn’t face any ramifications for that from either the legal system or MLB.
This news continues a downward trend for Sano since the end of the 2017 season, when he batted .264/.352/.507 with 28 home runs in 483 appearances and earned an All-Star nod. The 25-year-old is now coming off an injury-limited season in which the Twins demoted him to the minors on account of a drop in production. He ended up totaling 299 PA in the majors and hitting a disappointing .199/.281/.398 with MLB’s worst strikeout percentage (38.5) and 13 HRs.
Alright twins, it’s time to cut your losses with this clown.
They should gather more info before, but it doesn’t look good
Well for sure the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise is very important. And I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt last year, and was never really convinced that the photographers story was true. But two offseasons in a row… trouble doesn’t normally follow good people around. And it sounds like this one is fairly obvious that things went terribly wrong if he ran over a policeman.
And fwiw it’s not like his baseball is worth fighting legal battle after legal battle over.
So… how about that Addison Russell fellow?
No soup for Yu,
Was talking about my own comment, and fully agree with his post. added my comment to point out, the hypocrisy of others regards to “innocence until proven guilty” and was telling mlbtr they can remove my own post, if it’s a slippery slope. (Just please don’t wait until it gets 80+ replies, then remove all)
“
The same people saying innocent until proven guilty are the ones who wanted Kavanuaghs head a week ago”
Um. Please don’t put words in my mouth..
The presumption of innocence until proven otherwise is NOT very important in this case. This incident did not take place in the United States, therefore its laws do not apply. The rest of the world is not required to abide by the US Constitution.
Yeah, you’re right, since many other countries have no limitations on government power, let’s just do what they do
Has Rep Keith Ellison accused Kavanaugh of this incident instead of Sano yet?
Agree. It happened in a place where it’s known bribery is rule #1 and who cares about rule #2.
The presumption of innocence is a legal principle used in criminal trials – it is not a principle that must be used by investigators, interrogators, employers, journalists, legislators, or baseball commentators. One can hold whatever opinions one wants about a persons behavior. Outside of a courtroom; neither Judge Kavanaugh nor Miguel Sano are entitled to a presumption of innocence if your opinion is that they are not..
Giving him the benefit of the doubt now?
Is that how you think his name is spelled? That’s fantastic, please don’t bring up politics on a baseball site – especially when spelling presents such a challenge.
Also, still feel the same way about Sano? Still think the Twins should move on without gathering some facts? No one is pressing charges, including the officer.
Who does Kavanaugh play for? Never heard of him.
But Minnesota is in the U. S. So the Twins should go with the innocent until proven guilty …. oh and guess what? Turns out he was innocent.
So you do know all the facts of the matter…
damn, time to cut ties because of an automobile accident? such a knee jerk reaction. good thing you dont have control over twins personnel. you wouldve just given up a good young player for nothing
Well, to be fair – I think that should be blamed on the way that it was reported, not simply my reaction. I even stated that yes, we should wait for all information but this sounds terrible. This site’s original report made it sound like he thought he was in trouble and ran over the guy as an escape tactic. See: my second post above.
So, perhaps critique the site for making it sound like a much worse situation than it apparently actually was.
Agreed. It did sound like he ran over the officer as the officer stood in front of Sanos vehicle. Making it seem like Sano purposely ran someone over, so in that sense I get what you were saying. If I ran an organization and someone ran over a cop purposely I would just cut my losses there. If it was a genuine accident then that’s differant.
I read the same post, didn’t jump to that conclusion. Also didn’t feel the need to make it political.
I didn’t make it political either, moron. That was “nosoupforyu” in the now deleted comment. And if you didn’t take “he was told to stop but instead ran over the uniformed officer” as he was told to stop but ran over a cop then you just skimmed the article and didn’t read, at best.
My oh my. He just doesn’t get it. Very unfortunate.
Jung-Ho Kang 2.0
I feel like this crime is even worse than Kang’s..
What crime? What has he been charged and convicted of.
Please provide the link to the court case and the facts.
You like to argue don’t you
Well, he’s right. Sano isn’t facing criminal charges apparently.
oof
Crime? Please explain your inability to understand.
Kang didn’t run over a cop
Not what happened
He ran him over? Any link to that info?
Ever since he signed with Roc Nation Sports and moved to NYC, it seems like his effort level has dropped significantly, and now you have the second incident involving him over the past year.
While getting rid of him now makes sense on one level, selling low on him does not, and Twins fans always have that irrational fear that a released player could end up thriving like David Ortiz after the Twins released him in 2002.
Not sure what the answer is here, but this is definitely disappointing.
I think the real curse of David Ortiz is that now every overweight Dominican that comes through the twins system is going to be compared to him. Kennys Vargas wearing “little Papi” on players weekend still makes me smh. Ortiz wasn’t having behavioral issues. I don’t think sano is ever gonna get it together
He signed with Roc Nation Sports?
lol
That explains everything!
P.S. Has Cano finished his suspension?
I don’t know man. I don’t think Ortiz ever ran over a cop.
Neither did Sano. But why let facts stand in your way.
Again. He was commenting on what the article said
My original thoughts are that either:
A). He is being shaken down for being rich, or possibly even for cock fighting debts; or,
B). We in America see this incident through very narrow lenses. Perhaps in tbe DR you can do that kind of stuff as long as you pay for the bills and damages without any hard feelings.
Still feel the same way today? You know, after some actual facts came out.
He should be suspended at least 40 games.
Based on?
I imagine he paid out enough money that when MLB investigators show up the story will be “it was a bad report and nothing happened”.
Sounds to me like that’s exactly what’s happening. Went from ran over a cop after fleeing an accident, to accidently backed into cop after being stopped and paid for injuries. A year after getting into trouble previously.
OK Twinkies, you have an investment in this clown as a building block to your organization and it is long overdue that you make a serious effort to protect that investment. Sano should have not been allowed to leave the team and begin the off season WITHOUT: a full time dietitian, a full time physical trainer,and a full time caretaker/bodyguard. Get on the stick before it is too late and Sano becomes an embarrassment.to the organization.
“Sano offered to pay for the damage to the officer”
That phrasing seems a little dehumanizing.
Dehumanizing? Sounds more like a bribe.
Randy Moss called, he wants his off-field antics back.
Randy Moss actually delivered on the field, though.
Fame has gotten to his head
Just speculating here but….what if Sano was driving late at night with his wife, presumably in a fancy car, and he was unsure whether the “police checkpoint” in front of him was actually a police checkpoint? Roadblock robberies are not uncommon in some parts of Latin America, sometimes committed by dressed as cops, and often people driving in remote areas are worried about stopping anywhere for any reason. What would you do if you were driving with your wife late at night and you didn’t think the guy trying to get you to pull over was actually a cop? Not saying this is the case here, but I am curious.
Also, regarding the questions about paying the officer for his injuries, I recall something similar happened a few years ago with a Dominican former prospect, Angel Villalona. Apparently it’s customary in the DR for those who have the means to compensate victims and/or their families in order to avoid prison time.
That could be a possibility.
This guy is a lunatic. He will probably get prison time for this.
In some nations he might get a double tap
Still think he’s getting prison time?
Kinda sucks of you to reply to a post that didn’t have all the info. Be better.
This scumbag doesn’t belong in the league. I hope to hell they ban his sorry behind.
Shouldn’t this be grounds for revoking his visa to enter the US?
Because he didn’t commit a crime? That’s a good reason.
lol. That country is a joke. He offered to pay for the damages and was released? He shouldn’t even be able to see a daylight and be able to play pro ball again…
That’s extremely racist and ignorant considering you didn’t know any of the facts before you stated your unwanted opinion
Moron.
The Pirates should offer a middling prospect to the Twins for Sano and then stick both him and Kang in one of those self driving cars they test here.
A known defective one..
Well, if Google cars crash as often as Android apps, that should be pretty easy…
They can’t figure out how to make internet radio stream without crashing, by all means, trust them to drive you on bridges and through tunnels at 65 mph.
Wow, the outrage bunnies are out in a fluffle (yes, that’s the actual word for it) tonight.
Fun fact about third world countries, that you might not be aware of: if you’re driving an expensive car, and someone in a uniform is stopping you without good reason, odds are that’s not a traffic stop, it’s a robbery. Either by people impersonating a cop, or an actual cop.
A legitimate traffic cop would normally leave expensive. cars alone (because, most times, it’s either a corrupt government official or a protected criminal driving them).
Also, even if what he did was indeed criminal, we will never know for sure, and neither will the MLB, because no one with the money to pay a bribe would ever get prosecuted in the Dominican. I’m guessing everyone involved in the investigation will get their envelopes from a fixer Sano hires, within a week. And then it all goes away..
He had no plates and was at a routine traffic stop. How hard is it to read the story?
Lots of assumptions and false statements here….
1. How do you know he drives an expensive car?
2. How do you know he wasn’t pulled over for a good reason? The story literally says he didn’t have plates on the car.
3. The entire rest of your comment appears to be pure conjecture and I personally doubt you’re an expert on the subject
Cue the People’s Court music
But seriously….a lot of people on MLBTR haven’t been out of the country.
#1 What some 25 year old kid gonna drive back home after striking it rich in America? A Ford Fiesta?
#2 Good reason to be pulled over? It’s a shakedown cruise! Common practice. I doubt he was that stupid to NOT have plates. Maybe nobody’s foot got run over. This is the Latin American version of wealth redistribution that is expounded even here in our country!
#3 Being rich and famous sounds like crap to me.
I have been out of the country, but that’s besides the point – the issue is these likely American people who maybe spent a vacation at a resort in DR think they understand the culture.
There’s many examples of professional athletes driving more humble vehicles. Look up Alfred Morris from the NFL for an extreme example, but there’s also many others who just aren’t into luxury cars.
Pure conjecture on the rest, additionally I find it hard to vouch for Sano’s intelligence based on his track record.
Well, for the safety of Sano, I just hope he doesn’t keep alot of cash in his glove box like Manny Ramirez did.
Lol, please educate us on what it’s like to be out of the country. Hilarious. Way to judge an entire group based on nothing accept your brilliant mind.
“Latin American version of wealth redistribution”? I feel bad that you’re not smart enough to think any differently. Sad.
*except
Fly this cat down to the DR, he can testify as an expert witness
Sigh…
Wow, Sano is the only member of the Twins to get a hit in the post season.
Lol
Had to look that up…but thanks! lol
Eventually, people who make terrible decisions, end up undoing themselves. Sad, but the guy is clearly two screws short of a hardware store.
Looks like Sano was trying to get a “ leg up” on his start of the off season.
Dodgers go get him and turn him into a stud just like we did with Turner and Morrow and Hill and Taylor. He hits 40 bombs in Blue next year I’ll call it right now.
Don’t recall any of those 4 having issues not involving their bats with other organizations, but if you mean problems along the lines of Puig’s? yes.. he’d fit right in with LA wouldn’t he?
Puig has never done anything like this.
Don’t forget Muncy!
If twins cut him loose and he turns into a good baseball player down the road I wouldn’t have any regrets at all. He been a disaster and hasn’t earned any more chances with the twins. I do hope he gets his life figured out but his time with the twins should be over.
How about now?
Sano is a freaking goon I love it lol
Insano
get rid of the fella
This comment section sure didn’t age well. A lot of people here really love jumping to conclusions. “He’s a goon. A problem. This proves he’ll never get it together. He should never play baseball again.”
Reading these comments before the facts came out *sips tea*
So maybe after the facts are released the guy is worthy of a second chance. Just sayin
Facts, schmacts. I say let’s ignore all this and continue with our original dogging on Sano.
Funny how the newest comments are blaming the reactions instead of the erroneous first reporting saying that Sano was “ordered to stop but ran over a cop” which is a whole different ball of wax than whats being reported now. So instead of talking about commenters jumping to conclusions, let’s talk about the site jumping to report an article while having facts grossly wrong.
It’s one thing to suggest someone face punishment. It’s another thing to say he should be cut from the team, something you suggested, or be barred from baseball based on these allegations. Sounds more to me like you just want to cast blame off yourself for immediately resorting to hyperbole in a situation that quite frankly didn’t warrant it.
I didn’t say a thing about being barred from baseball. That’s the second time you’ve put words in my mouth. Looks like the first time got deleted, so maybe stop being such an idiot. Again, an initial report saying he was told to stop but instead ran over a cop warrants a very extreme reaction. Look back at my second post on the topic, and I clearly said yes… waiting for all the information is very important. but “it sounds like this one is fairly obvious that things went terribly wrong *****if he ran over a policeman.******* ” So if MLBTR got the “IF” part of that statement wrong, that’s pretty clearly on them
No, now you’re putting words in my mouth. Read my comment very carefully, because I’m assuming that reading comprehension isn’t your strong suit. “It’s another thing to suggest he be cut from the team, something you suggested…” You most certainly did suggest he be cut, but I never once said you suggested he be barred from baseball, though others here did. Also, I never replied to you before this regarding this topic. I don’t think I’ve ever replied to you period. Not sure where you got that from. Also, some people here suggested waiting until we knew all the facts but some of you guys couldn’t wait to board the internet hate train.
Funny how you were the first to toss the stone.
I was the first to comment because I have the Twins followed and got a notification on my phone. And when I opened it, I read that Sano was “told to stop”, and instead “ran over a uniformed officer”. I think that warrants a pretty extreme reaction. Not my fault the facts were wrong.
The facts werent wrong you just jumped to a conclusion and assumed that it was reckless behavior that caused it and not a innocent accident.
This isnt the biggest deal in the world (that you jumped to conclusions before you commented), but it is your fault and only your fault. Dont try to pass the blame off on someone else for your wrong-doing
So Sano was ordered to stop at a checkpoint, but he continued and ran over the uniformed officer, leaving him with serious damage?
It’s beyond silly, and actually downright stupid, to say “the facts weren’t wrong”. The two reports are *wildly* different. This is actually just funny at this point.
There should be consequences for reporters who rush to get a story out and report something totally off base that has the potential to damage a person’s reputation. I know there are slander laws and such but you never here about reporters facing the music for erroneous reports.
Lmao at you folks who (once AGAIN) jumped to conclusions, like this place always does.
It isn’t just “this place” that jumps to conclusions, but unfortunately it SEEMS that all too often our current culture is so accustomed to instant news that some often make instant judgments BEFORE things are investigated. Many times the first reports on the media aren’t the full story.
Umm, you are still rushing to judgement based on the latest update. How do you know this story is real?
If Sano gave the police officer and his boss money then they might come up with a friendly story about how they are old friends from school, etc.. to explain the situation away.
Who knows, you shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions either.
While we’re at it, you might be a kid toucher. Sure, it’s pretty obvious that I don’t know you, and couldn’t possibly have any information suggesting that you are a kid toucher, but dismissing the notion in the face of absolutely no evidence would I guess be “jumping to conclusions” in your book.
Don’t you think your explanation is a bit too, I don’t know…conspiracy-ish?
He may have have only hit .199 but finally managed to hit two bones