After hitting 30 home runs for the second time in his career in 2021 and then losing 25 pounds in the offseason, Sano looked set for a solid 2022 campaign. However, he began the year in a 5-for-54 slump and then suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. He missed two months and then was shut down in July after playing three games after a setback to the injury. When Sano is healthy, he has elite power, ranking in the top ten in baseball in 2021 in max exit velocity, average exit velocity and barrel rate. He struggles to make contact (58.3 contact rate last season), however, given his high strikeout rate (35.2 K% last season). His lack of contact made him just a league average hitter at first base when healthy (110 wRC+ in 2022) and showed his downside last season. He'll compete for a DH and first base role this spring. While there's reason to think he'll bounce back (.177 BABIP last year), his size (272 pounds) and durability concerns could also hasten a rapid decline to his career. Read Past Outlooks