Neal: Former Twins first-round pick Aaron Sabato is finally a step away from the major leagues

It was late afternoon on Tuesday, hours before Aaron Sabato would meet the St. Paul Saints mascot — The Great Fatsby — for the first time.

As “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” played over the CHS Field sound system, Sabato sent blasts and line drives to the outfield during batting practice. The session was his first at home since being promoted to Class AAA on Saturday.

That was a promotion that took three-plus years to materialize.

If you have forgotten about Sabato, take a couple of moments to remember him. The first baseman was the 27th player selected in the pandemic draft of 2020 but faded from top prospect status as his career stalled at Class AA Wichita, where he needed 931 plate appearances over 224 games going back to 2022.

Time in Kansas took longer than it should have, but he’s finally threatening to have a major league career.

“This is the best my swing has been since being with the organization,” Sabato said while smiling.

His time with the Wind Surge was interrupted twice by pitches that smashed his hands. One, in September 2022, forced him to miss the remainder of the season. The other knocked him out for six weeks early in the 2023 season.

Strikeouts really interrupted his ascension up the Twins’ minor league chain. He has a career 30.9% strikeout percentage. That’s nearing Miguel Sano territory.

When he says his swing is in a good spot, that means he’s in the strike zone more. And he did enough damage — a .305 batting average, nine home runs and 26 RBI at Wichita this season — to earn a promotion to Class AAA at age 26. His strikeout rate dropped significantly, to 25.8%.

Draft bust? It’s not time to go there. Sabato, who got a $2.75 million signing bonus after being taken out of North Carolina, is just a step away from the majors, swinging the bat as well as he ever has. By reaching Class AAA, he’s achieved more than other first-round draft picks like B.J. Garbe (1999). And if we extend that out to top 40 picks, Henry Sanchez (2005) and Shooter Hunt (2008) never got past Class A.

“You gotta deal with whatever life throws at you,” Sabato said. “I’ve had some injuries in my career. Some ups and downs and some struggles. You keep getting up one more time than when you are knocked down. I’m just trying to be where my feet are and enjoy the moment.”

Tuesday, Sabato was in the lineup with Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda, two former Twins trying to return to the big club. Julien socked a two-run homer in the second inning and was solid in the field. Miranda went 1-for-6 and gave up on a bouncing ball down the line in the second that stayed fair.

In the bottom of the second inning, Sabato lined a single to left off Toledo righthander Troy Melton. He finished 1-for-5 with a walk and two strikeouts and grounded into a double play.

The Saints lost 9-8 in 11 innings to Toledo in a game that went sideways. Despite coming off an off day, Toledo used a position player, Riley Unroe, to pitch the 10th with the Mud Hens leading 8-7. He was a strike away from the save when the Saints scored to tie the game. But the eephus-throwing Unroe returned for the 11th and picked up the win.

It was like watching the Twins hit against Houston last weekend.

Sabato has fought off the self-doubt that can sink a prospect. In addition to fighting to bat over .200 in some seasons, he was left unprotected by the Twins in each of the last two Rule 5 drafts. Unsurprisingly, no other team took a chance on him.

“I’m personally extremely proud of the effort he made this fall to prepare for this season,” Drew MacPhail, the Twins director of player development, wrote in an email, “and it’s been awesome to see the results follow!”

Saints manager Toby Gardenhire has worked with Sabato every spring training since the 2020 draft. He knows he’s getting a good hitter who will need time to settle in.

“I always say, the first two weeks, you can basically throw them out there,” said Gardenhire, who had a round of golf with his father, Ron, scheduled for Wednesday, “because they are playing on such adrenaline, because they’re all fired up to be here.”

That adrenaline could reach the majors if Sabato fares as well in St. Paul as he did in Wichita and the Twins can find room for his bat.

So this is not the time to disregard Sabato as a viable prospect. He’s where his feet are. That means he’s in St. Paul, and a step away from Target Field.