Twins slugger Lewin Diaz "has Miguel Sano power"

Lewin Diaz can put on a show in the batting cage.

That pure power from the 18-year-old first baseman's 6-foot-3, 263-pound frame wasn't the only thing that convinced the Minnesota Twins to give the left-handed hitter a $1.4 million signing bonus out of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic, where he has an older and younger sister.

The middle child, who turns 19 on Nov. 19, always stood out in terms of his stature and power throughout the scouting process, said Minnesota Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliffe.

"Most guys see him as a power guy," Radcliffe said. "But we think he can hit. At the end of the day, we offered the most money. We think he can hit (for average) along with having that power.

"What gets you signed down there is your present ability. Lewin, he's bigger and stronger than anybody else his age. Everybody knew about Lewin."

As the Gulf Coast League Twins begin the 2015 season at CenturyLink Sports Complex, Diaz will be looking to improve his conditioning, his defense and his English, of which he only knows a few dozen words. The native Spanish speaker is taking classes three nights a week and living in the Twins' player development academy adjacent to his new home field.

Diaz hit .257 (37-for-144) with five of his team's seven home runs and 27 RBI in 43 games last season for Minnesota's Dominican League team.

Diaz said about 35 percent of his signing bonus is going to coach/agent William Valdez. Diaz's father, a landlord who owns eight-to-10 houses, will help him manage the rest.

"My name is Lewin Diaz, and I like to hit home runs," Diaz said for a video shoot.

His new teammates recognized this.

"He honestly has Miguel Sano power," said Gulf Coast Twins outfielder Roberto Gonzalez, referring to the Twins third base prospect who hit 35 home runs in 2013 but then missed 2014 because of an elbow injury. Sano, also from the Dominican Republic, is playing third base in Double-A this season.

Gulf Coast Twins outfielder Tyree Davis said he would enjoy watching a home run derby with Diaz, Sano and two other powerful swingers in the Twins organization, Kennys Vargas and Adam Brett Walker.

Vargas, in the big leagues now, hit 26 homers last season. Walker hit 25 homers for the Fort Myers Miracle last season and is in Double-A with Sano this season.

"Now that's a competition," Davis said. "When I first saw Diaz in B.P. (batting practice), I was like, 'Who is this guy?'"

Gulf Coast League manager Ramon Borrego said he has high hopes for Diaz.

"He can be really good, I can tell you that," Borrego said. "He has really good potential to be a power hitter. And he's a big guy, but he moves well."

Diaz reminded Borrego of a young David Ortiz.

"With the approach he has at the plate, and the hand-eye coordination he has, he can hit the ball everywhere," Borrego said.

"When he does hit the ball," Gonzalez said of Diaz, "it ain't coming back to the field."

Connect with this reporter: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).

Gulf Coast League Twins

What: Rookie-level minor league team for Minnesota Twins

When: Season began Monday. Regular season ends Aug. 29.

Where: GCL Twins play most home games at noon at CenturyLink Sports Complex on field behind player development academy. Saturday games start at 10 a.m. Sundays are an off day.

Players to watch: Travis Blankenhorn, a third-round pick, and Trey Cabbage, a fourth-round pick, each were drafted out of high school this year and each will be playing third base.

Info: Milb.com