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Twins' Miguel Sano to have Tommy John surgery; miss 2014

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The top prospect for the Twins in the non-Buxton division will miss all of 2014 with right elbow surgery.

How can you not love photo day?
How can you not love photo day?
Rob Carr

The big prospect news of the day is unfortunately some bad news. Minnesota Twins prospect Miguel Sano was diagnosed with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) which will require Tommy John surgery to repair. The Twins have already came out and said he will miss the entirety of the 2014 season.

*scratches off trip to see Rochester*

Well this is some horrible news for prospect lovers everywhere. Sano looked prime for an even bigger season after belting 35 home runs between High A Fort Myers and AA New Britain, along with a .280/.382/.610 line. He had troubles with the elbow in AA and winter ball, but the nail in the coffin came Thursday during an intrasquad game.

Earlier this off-season, Sano predicted he would hit "45-55 home runs" and over "100 walks" in his upcoming season. Lofty goals certainly, but it looks like it will take another year or two for him to get back to those levels. The surgery and rehab is not as extensive as it is with a pitcher, so Sano should have plenty of time to be back to playing shape by next Spring Training.

As far as his development is concerned, anytime a prospect loses a chunk of time like this it will set him back. Luckily for Sano, he was already well ahead of the age curve, playing well in AA by the age of 20. When he comes back healthy he will be 22 years old and ready for the AAA test.

It's always sad to see a talent like this go down for an extended period of time. All the best to Miguel with his surgery and I hope he has a quick and set back-free recovery. If you are on twitter, you can follow and send a message to him at @SanoMiguel .