The baseball team located in San Pedro De Macoris in the Dominican Winter League is named the Estrellas Orientales, translated in English as "Eastern Stars.''
There is a Wikipedia page that offers this in the category "Trivia":
"The Estrellas Orientales franchise is considered the equivalent of the Chicago Cubs among Dominican teams because of their championship drought which lasted from 1968 until 2019.''
Considering the DWL is a six-team league, San Pedro avoiding a championship for 51 years probably does rate with the Cubs doing so for 108 years in the majors.
Miguel Sanó was part of the winning effort for his hometown team after joining the Orientales late in the 2019 season. His manager was Fernando Tatis, and his teammates included Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres' phenom-to-be.
There was a celebration in the middle of San Pedro — the focal point for a province of 400,000 — that included a parade.
After taking in the parade, the players were leaving a temporary platform. A teammate slipped in front of Sanó, and Miguel stumbled and suffered a gash above his right heel on a metal step.
When Miguel showed up soon thereafter for Twins spring training, his physical condition looked outstanding. Still a very big man, of course, but he appeared to be as solidly constructed as at any time since his terrific rookie half-season in 2015.
Then came the information on the gash on his heel — close to an open wound by now after a failed repair in the Dominican. That and other problems kept Sanó out of the Twins lineup until May 16. It was the "Bomba Squad'' season and he contributed 34 home runs in 105 games.
Sanó received a three-year contract for $27 million, plus a fourth season (2023) for either $14 million or a $3 million buyout.
He was off to a horrendous start in 2022. His fifth hit of the season — a single to right field — on April 26 drove in a tying run in the bottom of the ninth vs. Detroit, then the winning run scored on an error.
There was a wild celebration with teammates to mark Miguel's first real highlight of the new season, and he came out of the antics with a torn meniscus in his left knee.
This tells us that when Sanó, now 30, returns to competitive baseball, he should avoid celebrations.
Miguel was batting .093 when the torn meniscus sent him to the injured list last summer. Two and a half months later, he was playing the first night of a rehab assignment in St. Paul on July 12 and hit a double to right-center. Then the rain came.
He looked good — not in terrible shape — and like he had an idea at the plate.
He returned to the Twins on July 26. He played only three games. The knee was ailing again and he went on the injured list in early August.
Basically, it was over for him at that moment after 13 years with the Twins organization. Sanó would get the $3 million buyout and hope for interest from another team in 2023.
He had a couple of tryouts while training in Tampa last winter. He wasn't in fighting trim and looked slow with the bat. There were no takers and he went home to San Pedro.
The only real news that touched on Sanó last winter was terrible: His biological father, Richard Aponte, was accused of murdering his girlfriend in February. The shooting outside a club was captured on video. Sanó does not have a relationship with Aponte.
"He never has,'' said Fred Guerrero. "I've known Miguel since 2007 and never met the man.''
Guerrero has worked for the Twins for two front offices and 21 years. His current title is Director of Latin American Scouting and U.S. Integration. He has been closer to Sanó than anyone in the organization — since Miguel was 14 and the Twins knew they wanted this already-muscular young kid when he became eligible to be signed.
This week, Guerrero had just gotten off a plane in Valencia, Venezuela. On a cell connection, he was asked: "Have you seen Miguel lately?''
Guerrero: "I saw him yesterday in San Pedro.''
What's he been doing? "He had a very tough time with that knee, but it's much-improved now, and he's working out. He also has three kids, so he's being a dad.''
What's his baseball plan? "He said he was going to Tampa to train, and then he's going to play winter ball.''
Where? "His home team. San Pedro.''
Presumably, if Sanó appears to be in OK shape and makes robust contact, would that lead to a return to a big-league spring training camp in 2024?
"We all want the best for Miguel,'' Guerrero said. "He's always been a great teammate. He's 30 now. There's time for him. He must be healthy, though, and show he can produce. He's going to strike out, but there's enough of those in the game now that they won't eliminate Miguel if he's producing runs. That was his talent.''
In Guerrero's case, that means Miguel's talent going back to when he was 14.
