Miguel Sanó was born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic, to a poor Haitian family.

[7][8] Twins then-general manager Bill Smith said, "Sanó's age and identity have probably been scrutinized more than any player in the history of the Dominican Republic,"[7] and the issues and difficulties involved caused Sanó to lower his asking price from the $5–6 million bonus he was seeking when the international signing period first opened.

[9][10] The Pittsburgh Pirates were the first team to offer Sanó a deal and appeared to be his most ardent suitor, but negotiations were at a standstill after agent Rob Plummer rejected a $2.6 million offer from the team, proferred on their behalf by their Director of Latin American Scouting, Rene Gayo.

[11] On October 20, 2009, Sports Illustrated reported that Sanó had been issued a work visa by the United States, clearing him to play professional baseball;[19] this was confirmed by the Twins on December 5.

The film is directed by Jonathan Paley, Ross Finkel, and Trevor Martin, narrated by John Leguizamo, and produced by Bobby Valentine.

It premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2011 and had a theatrical release in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis in July 2012.

[22] Before the 2011 season, Baseball America rated Sanó the third-best prospect in the Twins' minor league system.

Meanwhile, general manager Terry Ryan said that the team hoped to move Sanó closer to the major leagues quickly.

[34] Sanó began the 2013 season with the Fort Myers Miracle of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League.

On June 9, 2013, Sanó and Eddie Rosario were promoted to the New Britain Rock Cats of the Class AA Eastern League.

[36] Sanó began the 2015 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League, and batted .274 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs through the end of June.

[41] Sanó finished third in the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year voting, behind winner Carlos Correa and runner-up Francisco Lindor.

[42] The Twins moved Sanó to right field before the 2016 season, after signing Byung Ho Park to be the designated hitter and retaining incumbent third baseman Trevor Plouffe.

[55] He finished the 2019 season with a career high 34 home runs, and the Twins won their first AL Central title since 2010.

[58] The Twins moved Sanó to first base after signing free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson in the offseason.

[46] A sacrifice fly from Sanó provided the game’s only RBI during a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on April 21.

[63] The Twins declined Sanó’s contract option for the 2023 season on November 7, making him a free agent.

[74] On February 12, 2023, Sano's biological father, Ricardo Aponte, allegedly killed his own girlfriend, Yajaira Henderson, in San Pedro de Macorís, in an incident captured by a surveillance camera.