Carlos Santana

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE

2005
R:  295/412/410, 78 AB, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 16 BB, 8 K, 0-2 SB

Santana hit well in his debut in rookie ball at age 17.  It was especially impressive that he had twice as many walks as strikeouts.  The Dodgers played him mainly at third, but he got into a few games at second and catcher, and in left.

2006
R+:  303/423/515, 132 AB, 5 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 30 BB, 19 K, 4-4 SB
A+:  268/345/384, 198 AB, 10 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23 BB, 43 K, 0-3 SB

Santana moved up to advanced rookie ball and had little trouble there, then held his own when the Dodgers moved him up to High A.  He played mostly in the outfield corners before the promotion, then played third a lot after.  Baseball America ranked him 23rd in the LA system after the season.

2007
A:  223/318/370, 292 AB, 20 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 40 BB, 45 K, 5-8 SB

In Low A, the Dodgers employed Santana mainly behind the plate and he did well there, throwing out 38% of opposing base stealers.  His hitting tailed off quite a bit, although he maintained strong plate discipline.  BA ranked him 25th after the season.

2008
A+ (LAD):  323/431/563, 350 AB, 34 2B, 4 3B, 14 HR, 69 BB, 59 K, 7-11 SB
A+ (Cleve):  352/452/591, 105 AB, 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 20 BB, 24 K, 3-3 SB
AA (Cleve):  125/125/500, 8 AB, 1 HR, 2 K

LA moved Santana up to High A and he had a huge season.  In late July, the Dodgers traded Santana to Cleveland and he continued to hammer the ball.  He continued to play mostly behind the plate and he threw out 27%.  BA rated him the best prospect in the Cleveland system and the team added him to the 40-man roster.

2009
AA:  290/413/530, 428 AB, 30 2B, 2 3B, 23 HR, 90 BB, 83 K, 2-4 SB

Cleveland kept Santana in AA for the whole season and he had another strong year.  He played catcher exclusively.  BA once again put him at the top of the Cleveland system.

2010
AAA:  316/447/597, 196 AB, 14 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 45 BB, 39 K, 6-6 SB
MLB:  260/401/467, 150 AB, 13 2B, 6 HR, 37 BB, 29 K, 3-3 SB

In AAA, Santana continued to hammer the ball.  That got him a callup in June and he stayed in the majors after that, although he missed the last two months due to a left knee sprain.  He adapted quickly to the majors, walking more than he struck out.  He played exclusively behind the plate at both levels.

2011
MLB:  239/351/457, 552 AB, 35 2B, 2 3B, 27 HR, 97 BB, 133 K, 5-8 SB

Santana spent the entire season in the majors, showing good power and a lot of patience.  He caught the majority of the time but also played a lot at first.

2012
A:  250/250/1.000, 4 AB, 1 HR
MLB:  253/365/420, 507 AB, 27 2B, 2 3B, 18 HR, 91 BB, 101 K, 3-8 SB

Early in the season, Santana signed a five-year deal with Cleveland, with a team option for 2017.  He went on to have a slightly disappointing season.  He spent most of his time behind the plate.

2013
MLB:  268/377/455, 541 AB, 39 2B, 1 3B, 20 HR, 93 BB, 110 K, 3-4 SB

Santana hit about the same as the previous year, except he upped his power.  He spent the majority of his time behind the plate, but also played a lot at first and as DH.

2014
MLB:  231/365/427, 541 AB, 25 2B, 27 HR, 113 BB, 124 K, 5-7 SB

Santana continued to hit about the same, except with a little less power.  He spent little time catching, instead playing mostly at first.

2015
MLB:  231/357/395, 550 AB, 29 2B, 2 3B, 19 HR, 108 BB, 122 K, 11-14 SB

Santana’s hitting tailed off a little bit more, again maybe in the power area.  Cleveland moved him to first full time.

2016
MLB:  260/366/498, 582 AB, 31 2B, 3 3B, 34 HR, 99 BB, 99 K, 5-7 SB

Splitting his time between first base and DH, Santana reached a career high in home runs and made the All-Star team for the only time in his career.

2017
MLB:  259/363/455, 571 AB, 37 2B, 3 3B, 23 HR, 88 BB, 94 K, 5-6 SB

Santana fell off a little in home runs, but otherwise hit exactly the same as the year before.  After the season, he became a free agent and signed a three-year, $60M contract with the Phillies, with a team option for 2021.

2018
MLB:  229/352/414, 560 AB, 28 2B, 2 3B, 24 HR, 110 BB, 93 K, 2-3 SB

Santana’s hitting fell off some, although he continued to draw walks at a prodigous rate.  After the season, the Phillies sent Santana to Seattle.  Ten days later, the Mariners sent him on to Cleveland in a three-team trade.

2019
MLB:  281/397/515, 573 AB, 30 2B, 1 3B, 34 HR, 108 BB, 108 K, 4-4 SB

With the Indians, Santana put up career highs in OPS (.911), runs (110) and RBIs (93).

2020
MLB:  199/349/350, 206 AB, 7 2B, 8 HR, 47 BB, 43 K

In the pandemic season, Santana fell off a cliff, losing over 200 points off his OPS.  Only a high walk total kept him anywhere close to respectable.  After the season, Cleveland declined Santana’s 2021 option, making him a free agent.  He signed a two-year deal with the Royals worth $17.5M.

2021
MLB:  214/319/342, 565 AB, 15 2B, 19 HR, 86 BB, 102 K, 2-2 SB

Santana had about the same season with Kansas City, with a lower walk rate.  At this point, he was still an everyday first baseman.

2022
MLB (KC):  216/349/341, 176 AB, 10 2B, 4 HR, 36 BB, 28 K
MLB (Sea):  192/293/400, 255 AB, 8 2B, 15 HR, 35 BB, 60 K

Things continued along the same lines, with a higher walk rate and less over-the-fence power.  In late June, the Royals traded Santana to Seattle.  His power bounced back a little, but overall his hitting declined.  He split his time between first and DH with both teams.

There seems to be some supposition that the Pirates will platoon Santana with Ji-Man Choi at first base.  Santana’s salary of $6.725 is unremarkable, except for the Pirates, to whom it’s an enormous amount of money.  It’s extremely unlikely that they’ll want to pay Santana that much to sit on the bench for most of his tenure.  Most likely, he and Choi will split first base and DH duties while playing most of the time.