The Pirates’ interest in shortstop Miguel Sano of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic has been well-documented. Then again, all 30 major-league clubs like Sano, who some scouts insist is the most talented teenage prospect from the Dominican in at least a decade.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder seemingly has it all, though he figures to outgrow shortstop and wind up at third base or center field.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 16-year-old who could hit like that,” said an executive of a major-league club who has scouted Sano. “It’s just a smooth, fluid swing and the ball jumps off his bat. There are a lot of major-league players right now who would kill for his swing and his hitting ability. The rest of his game is good, too.”

The good news is the Pirates have a legitimate chance to sign Sano. So much about signing foreign free agents is building relationships and gregarious Pirates Latin American scouting coordinator Rene Gayo is a master at that.

Word on Wednesday night had the Pirates and Minnesota Twins as the co-favorites to sign Sano. The signing bonus could go as high as $4 million and perhaps exceed the record for an amateur international free agent of $4.25 million that Oakland gave Dominican pitcher Michael Ynoa last July.

The Pirates are in a position where they really need to sign Sano. They have not produced a Latin player who has made any kind of real impact in the major league since third baseman Aramis Ramirez, now with the Cubs, debuted as a 19-year-old in 1998.

Furthermore, the Pirates opened their $5-million academy in the Dominican to great fanfare in late April. After making that kind of commitment, it stands to reason the Pirates should commit whatever it takes to sign the nation’s top prospect.