Archive for Carlos Santana

A brief examination of the Cleveland Indians’ roster reveals a number of good players having a number of good seasons. That’s generally the type of thing you’d expect from a team that currently possesses one of the best records in baseball.

Much of Cleveland’s overall success has been the result of a strong second half. By wins above replacement, Corey Kluber has been the club’s most important contributor since the All-Star break. Among non-pitchers, Francisco Lindor has a very narrow lead over one of his teammates in the WAR column. And the identity of that teammate might not be completely obvious. It isn’t last year’s breakout star Jose Ramirez, for example. It’s not big offseason acquisition Edwin Encarnacion, either. No. In a virtual tie with Lindor for second-half WAR is veteran Carlos Santana. The first baseman has arguably been the best player on baseball’s best team in the second half. The 31-year-old soon-to-be free agent has inarguably been one of baseball’s best hitters since the All-Star break.

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Lest we get totally overwhelmed by $200 million contracts and Jacoby Ellsbury jumping from Boston to the Yankees and the Astros actually signing major league free agents, let’s not let a smaller yet incredibly fun story pass us by.

27-year-old Indians catcher Carlos Santana, who hasn’t played third base with any regularity since way back in Single-A in 2006 (for a town [Vero Beach] that doesn’t even have a team any more, and for a club that had 43-year-old Pat Borders seeing time behind the dish) wants to give his old position a try next season.

In fact, he really wants to, as GM Chris Antonetti told reporters a few days ago: Read the rest of this entry »

Carlos Santana has only played forty major league games, but he’s already topped one significant leaderboard with his play. Consider this little nugget: Last year, he put up the best OPS by a switch-hitting catcher debuting under the age of 25 with 30 or more games. In fewer words, he was the best rookie switch-hitting catcher of all time last year. Of course, that assertion comes with some significant caveats, but after further inspection his supernatural feat holds up as historically great.

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Don’t look now Dodger fans, but the ghost of the Casey Blake trade of 2008 is coming back to haunt.

Blake was traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Los Angeles Dodgers at mid-season in a deal that had me scratching my head from the moment in was announced. In return for Blake, the Indians received breakout prospect Carlos Santana and minor league reliever Jonathan Meloan. Perhaps the Dodgers did not feel that the catcher’s success was for real and was a result of playing in the potent California League.

Blake was by no means a terrible acquisition for the Dodgers. The veteran third baseman has accumulated 6.7 WAR during his less than two full seasons in Los Angeles. He produced the third highest WAR (4.6) amongst NL third basemen in ’09, and the seventh highest in the Majors. However, he’ll turn 37 years old this season and was, at the time of the trade, and impending free agent (who was later re-signed to a three-year, $17.5 million contract that also has an option for 2012).

Santana, on the other hand, has the chance to be one of the top offensive catchers in the American League for quite some time. Now we’re not talking Joe Mauer (8 WAR) good, but think Victor Martinez or Brian McCann good (4-5 WAR a year).

Less than two weeks ago, Indians GM Mark Shapiro was asked about a potential Santana promotion and he told a local Cleveland newspaper:

“While he continues to flourish offensively, defensively he continues to be a work in progress,” said Shapiro. “His offensive ability is so strong that we feel it’s important to utilize every day possible in the minor leagues to develop his defense. His game calling and leadership have made strides, but his throwing has to improve.”

I’m not sure what changed in eight days, or if it was just a smoke screen, but Santana will make his MLB debut tonight against Washington. Shapiro’s stated concerns about the young catcher’s defense are justified. He’s a converted fielder who has only been behind the dish since 2007 after spending much of his time in the outfield and at third base prior to the move. Over the past three seasons, Santana’s caught-stealing success rate has been 23%, 30%, and 23% so far this season in triple-A. Between ’07 and ’09, he allowed 45 passed balls but had given up just one so far this season, which suggests some improvement in the area of receiving. Santana has also reportedly improved his game-calling skills.

On offense, there is little to not like. At the time of his promotion, he had an OPS of 1.044 and his triple-slash line was .316/.447/.597 in 196 at-bats. Santana also currently has a walk rate of 18% and an ISO rate of .280, so he’s displayed both patience and power. Those rates are not out of line with what he’s posted over the past three seasons. The 24-year-old switch-hitter also does a nice job of limiting his strikeouts and his rate currently sits at 16%. It’s not often that you find a catcher that hits for power and strikes out less than he walks (and can hit more than .300).

In his career, he’s been very good against both right-handed and left-handed pitching. He has a career OPS of .960 against lefties and .879 against righties. A pitcher cannot take his eye off of Santana on the base paths, either. The catcher has gone 18-for-24 in stolen base attempts over the past three seasons.

Fellow rookie Lou Marson, obtained from Philly last year in the Cliff Lee trade, was demoted to triple-A to make room for Santana. Former Minnesota Twin and Florida Marlin Mike Redmond will continue to serve as the back-up in Cleveland. Marson, 24, did himself no favors by hitting .191/.268/.262 with a .253 wOBA in 141 at-bats.

With the promotion of Santana, we have now seen the majority of top 2009-10 prospects reach the Majors. Here is FanGraphs’ Top 10 prospects list, which was released prior to the 2010 season.

1. Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta Braves
2. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Washington Nationals
3. Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
4. Mike Stanton, OF, Florida Marlins
5. Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants
6. Neftali Feliz, RHP, Texas Rangers
7. Carlos Santana, C, Cleveland Indians
8. Jesus Montero, C/1B, New York Yankees
9. Domonic Brown, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
10. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates

As you can see, six of the 10 players are now in the Majors. Of those still in the minors, Brown could be the next prospect called up, if Philly can find room for him. If not, then Alvarez could beat him to The Show. Either way, a lot of talent has already been promoted to the Majors this season and the Top 100 prospects list is going to have a real different look to it in 2011.

June is just around the corner and Super-2 arbitration eligibility is going to expire shortly for a number of top prospects. As a result, you could see a few big names in the Majors within the first two weeks of the month. Let’s see how they’re currently doing in the minors.

Stephen Strasburg | RHP | Washington: You know you’re good when people start off a sentence with: “Strasburg actually allowed a run in triple-A…” In nine starts this season split between double-A and triple-A, the right-hander has allowed 22 hits and 10 walks in 45.1 innings of work. He has a 10.42 K/9 rate, as well as a 69% ground-ball rate, which gives a pretty good idea of why he’s been so dominant. The club could definitely use his help, as its best starter (Scott Olsen) is on the DL and Livan Hernandez is not going to keep pitching with a golden horseshoe shoved up his…

Jeremy Hellickson | RHP | Tampa Bay: Brian Joura is looking at the Hellickson situation in a little more depth over at RotoGraphs today. The 23-year-old right-hander has been dealing in triple-A all season long. He’s given up 53 hits and just 12 walks in 58.0 innings. He also has a strikeout rate of 9.64 K/9. A fly-ball pitcher with a 31.5% ground-ball rate, Hellickson has done a nice job avoiding the home-run ball (Just two have left the yard all season). The problem for Hellickson – which is great news for Rays fans – is that there is nowhere to pitch him. The starting rotation is probably the deepest and most talented in Major League Baseball.

Buster Posey | C | San Francisco: The Giants organization and General Manager Brian Sabean clearly don’t think a catcher can improve his defense while playing in the Major Leagues. Either that or it really is about Super-2. This line of thought just might cost the club a playoff berth. Posey’s defense definitely still needs some work behind the plate but he’s not useless back there and he’s hitting .344/.435/.525 with a in 160 at-bats. He’s also creaming lefties to the tune of a 1.222 OPS. Veteran MLB catcher Bengie Molina currently has a wOBA of .332 on the year, which is 14th in the Majors amongst catchers with 100 or more plate appearances (Or in other words, he’s been OK but not great). Why not let Molina catch 60% of the games with Posey handling the other 40%, while also seeing time at first base and/or third base?

Carlos Santana | C | Cleveland: Santana continues to challenge Posey for the title of Best Offensive Catcher in the minors. The Indians prospect is currently hitting .306/.440/.551 with nine homers and five steals in 147 at-bats. He also has 34 walks compared to 28 strikeouts. The switch-hitter swings well from the left side and has a .324 average against right-handed pitching. Santana has also been excellent with runners in scoring position, as his OPS jumps from .875 with the bases empty to 1.269 with men on second and/or third base. Current MLB catcher (and fellow rookie) Lou Marson has a wOBA of .255. Enough said.

Pedro Alvarez | 3B | Pittsburgh: The third baseman caught everyone’s attention early in the season with a power burst but he’s been pretty quiet since that time. Overall, he’s hitting just .248/.333/.497 with 10 homers in 165 at-bats. The left-handed hitter has struggled against southpaws with a .205 average (compared to .264 versus RHPs). Currently third baseman Andy LaRoche hasn’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut. His wOBA is just .311 through 35 games, which is one of the worst rates in the Majors at his position. However, Alvarez’ struggles could keep him in the minors until September.

General Manager: Mark Shapiro
Farm Director: Ross Atkins
Scouting Director: Brad Grant

FanGraphs’ Top 10 Prospects:
(2009 Draft Picks/International Signees Not Included)

The Indians system is clearly a cut above (most of) the rest, thanks mainly to solid trades as opposed to key draft choices; of the Top 10 prospects, six came from other organizations. The club also added two of its Top 10 picks via international signings, which has been a strength of the organization over the past few years. If the club can tighten up its drafting (and continue to move away from the college-heavy emphasis), the club will hopefully sustain its minor-league depth for years to come.

1. Carlos Santana, C, Double-A
DOB: April 1986 Bats: R Throws: R
Signed: 2004 non-drafted international free agent (Venezuela – Dodgers)
MLB ETA: Mid-2010 40-Man Roster: Yes Options: 2

An absolute steal from the Dodgers, Santana currently has a shot at the No. 1 catching gig in Cleveland in 2010 now that both Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach have been sent elsewhere within the past six months. However, Santana spent the ’09 season in double-A and has yet to play at the MLB level, so the club might be better off by signing a veteran like Rod Barajas to split the catching chores with Wyatt Toregas and/or Lou Marson. Neither Toregas nor Marson is a threat to Santana long term. The former Dodgers prospect had a nice offensive season in double-A by hitting .290/.413/.530 in 428 at-bats. Santana has consistently shown a good eye at the plate with double-digit walk rates for the past four seasons and it reached 17.4% in ’09 (1.08 BB/K rate, as well). His ISO of .241 shows that he has a lot of power, as well. After driving in 115 runs in ’08, Santana followed that up with 97 in ’09. Because he’s on base so much, he’s also scored 179 runs in the past two seasons, even with his legs starting to show some signs of slowing down thanks to the rigors of the position. Defensively, Santana is a convert to the position (2007) and he’ll likely never win a gold glove, but he threw out a reasonable number of base runners in ’09 at 30%. He should be an all-star with the bat.

2. Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B, Double-A
DOB: October 1988 Bats: L Throws: R
Signed: 2008 1st round – Pitt Community College
MLB ETA: Late-2010 40-Man Roster: No Options: 3

Chisenhall followed up his solid debut season with a nice sophomore effort in high-A. He hit .276/.346/.492 with an ISO of .216 in 388 at-bats. His walk rate was OK at 8.7% and his strikeout rate of 20.6% was reasonable considering his power production. Chisenhall also showed a knack for driving in runs with 79 RBI in 99 games (.965 OSP with men on, .652 with the bases empty). The third baseman also received a late-season promotion to double-A, where he hit .183/.238/.387 in 93 at-bats. Overall on the season, the left-handed hitting Chisenhall batted just .243/.332/.393 against southpaws, so he has some work to do in that area. He should head back to the same level in 2010. Although fellow prospect Wes Hodges is a little further ahead, Chisenhall is the favorite to fill the hot corner for the long term.

3. Nick Hagadone, LHP, High-A
DOB: January 1986 Bats: L Throws: L
Signed: 2007 supplemental 1st round – University of Washington (Boston)
MLB ETA: Mid-2011 40-Man Roster: No Options: 3
Repertoire: 91-94 mph fastball, plus slider, change-up

A former first-round pick of Boston, Hagadone’s career has been slowed by Tommy John surgery in ’08. The southpaw got back on track in ’09 but he was kept on a strict pitch count, which limited his total innings to just 45.0 on the year. The good news: just 26 hits, no homers allowed, and a strikeout rate at about 11.00 K/9. The bad news: A walk rate that was all over the place. Obviously, the good out-weighs the bad and some control problems are to be expected when young pitchers come back from surgery and long layoffs. If Hagadone can maintain his solid velocity and crazy ground-ball rates (57.8% career), then he should be a stud. The big, unanswered question is: Will he be a No. 2 starter or a late-game reliever?

4. Hector Rondon, RHP, Triple-A
DOB: February 1988 Bats: R Throws: R
Signed: 2004 non-drafted international free agent (Venezuela)
MLB ETA: Mid-2010 40-Man Roster: Yes Options: 3
Repertoire: 89-93 mph fastball, curveball, change-up

The first of Cleveland’s homegrown Top 10 prospects, Rondon just keeps getting better and better. Although he doesn’t have electric stuff, Rondon is a much more well-rounded pitcher than a lot of 21-year-old hurlers. The right-hander rose out of obscurity in ’07 with an outstanding ’08 season in high-A. He followed that up by pitching in both double-A and triple-A this past season. At the junior level, Rondon allowed just 60 hits in 72.0 innings of work, while posting a 2.51 FIP. He continued to display above-average control with a walk rate of 2.00 and he posted his highest strikeout rate of his career at 9.13 K/9. Upon his promotion to triple-A, Rondon showed similarly-good control but he struggled with the home run ball a little bit and gave up eight in 74.1 innings (0.97 HR/9). His K/BB rate remained solid at 4.92. With 83 hits allowed, he may have thrown strikes to a fault. One thing to watch out for: His ground-ball rate has diminished with each move up the ladder, to a dangerous rate of 33.9% in triple-A.

5. Carlos Carrasco, RHP, Triple-A
DOB: March 1987 Bats: R Throws: R
Signed: 2003 non-drafted international free agent (Venezuela – Philadelphia)
MLB ETA: Early-2010 40-Man Roster: Yes Options: 1
Repertoire: 89-93 mph fastball, curveball, change-up

Despite being 22, it seems like Carrasco has been around awhile, having reached double-A as a 20 year old. Although he has a nice fastball, the right-hander has been an enigma due to his modest results in the minors. As such, it was not a huge surprise to see him dealt to the Indians, with Philly’s patience having run out. In his former organization, Carrasco pitched 114.2 innings in triple-A in ’09 and allowed 118 hits, but showed solid control with a walk rate of 2.98. He had troubles with the long-ball and allowed 14 homers (1.10 HR/9). The Venezuelan threw better after coming over to pitch for Cleveland’s triple-A squad, but he then tanked when given his first taste of big-league action. Carrasco posted a 7.08 FIP and allowed 40 hits in 22.1 innings of work. With a line-drive rate of 27.0%, he wasn’t fooling anyone with his fastball/change-up approach, as both pitches had negative value. If everything clicks, Carrasco has No. 2 starter potential; more likely than not, though, he’ll be a Miguel Batista type of frustrating pitcher.

6. Jason Knapp, RHP, Low-A
DOB: August 1990 Bats: R Throws: R
Signed: 2008 2nd round – New Jersey HS (Philadelphia)
MLB ETA: Mid-2013 40-Man Roster: No Options: 3
Repertoire: 91-94 mph fastball, slider, change-up

Knapp has a big arm, but he also comes complete with injury question marks. A shoulder injury derailed his fantastic low-A ball season, but Cleveland thought enough of him to take the DL-ed pitcher in the Cliff Lee trade. The right-hander was in his first full pro season and was pumping in high-90s fastballs early in the season. He posted a strikeout rate of 11.71 K/9 in 85.1 innings for Philadelphia’s low-A team. He showed some problems with the walk, as he had a walk rate of 4.11 BB/9. As with most young fire-ballers, Knapp gets a lot of fly-ball outs, and his ground-ball rate was a measly 35.6%. Once traded, he made just four starts thanks to the shoulder issue. He is expected to be healthy for the beginning of 2010, but shoulders can be a dangerous area. If everything clicks, he has an outside chance of being a No. 1 starter.

7. T.J. House, LHP, Low-A
DOB: September 1989 Bats: L Throws: L
Signed: 2008 16th round – Mississippi HS
MLB ETA: Early-2013 40-Man Roster: No Options: 3
Repertoire: 88-93 mph fastball, curveball, change-up

Another homegrown talent, House was an over-slot signee during the ’08 draft. The pitcher has a solid repertoire and the advantage of being left-handed. Pitching in low-A ball in ’09, he allowed just 127 hits in 134.1 innings of work. He showed solid command for his experience level at 3.28 BB/9 and his strikeout rate was good too, at 7.30 K/9. His ground-ball rate of 46.3% was respectable, and he kept the homers to a minimum (0.54 HR/9). He’s still a long way from reaching the Majors, but House had an encouraging debut and he could settle into the mid-to-late part of the Indians rotation within a few years.

8. Michael Brantley, OF, Triple-A
DOB: May 1987 Bats: L Throws: L
Signed: 2005 7th round – Florida HS (Milwaukee)
MLB ETA: Mid-2010 40-Man Roster: Yes Options: 2

A personal favorite for a few years now, Brantley does what every plus base runner should do: He gets on base. With double-digit walk rates over the past four seasons, the left-handed hitting outfielder posted a walk rate of 11.4% in triple-A, as well as a BB/k rate of 1.23. Just 22, he’s likely ready for at least a fourth-outfielder role in Cleveland. Overall, he hit .267/.350/.361 in 457 at-bats at triple-A. He was hurt by low .288 BABIP. Brantley has almost no power and posted an ISO rate of .094 in ’09. But that’s OK. His job is to get on base, move up, and score runs. He stole 46 bases in 51 attempts, and could certainly provide a spark to the Indians’ base running attack. Brantley’s less-than-stellar defense, as well as his .645 OPS vs southpaws, drag down his overall value.

9. Alexander Perez, RHP, High-A
DOB: July 1989 Bats: R Throws: R
Signed: 2007 non-drafted international free agent
MLB ETA: late-2011 40-Man Roster: No Options: 3
Repertoire: 88-93 mph fastball, curveball, change-up

Like Rondon and Jeanmar Gomez, Perez popped out of nowhere to become a solid pitching prospect. The right-hander had a solid ’09 season and split the year between low-A and high-A. At the lower level, Perez allowed just 69 hits in 83.0 innings of work. He showed good control with a walk rate of 2.60 BB/9 and he also missed some bats with a strikeout rate of 8.24 K/9. He did give up a few too many homers (0.98 HR/9). In high-A, Perez made eight appearances and allowed 32 hits in 31.1 innings. Both his walk and strikeout rates were similar to his low-A levels, but his BABIP increased by .076. He allowed just one homer at the senior level and showed all-around solid ground-ball numbers in ’09 at 48.9%.

10. Scott Barnes, LHP, Double-A
DOB: September 1987 Bats: L Throws: L
Signed: 2008 8th round – St. John’s University
MLB ETA: Late-2010 40-Man Roster: No Options: 3
Repertoire: 87-91 mph fastball, curveball, change-up

Barnes is probably higher on this list than on most Indians Top 10 prospect charts, but he’s a solid left-handed pitcher with average stuff. Obtained from the Giants organization, he slipped a bit after moving up to double-A with Cleveland. Barnes had trouble locating his pitches and gave up seven homers in just 31.2 innings (1.99 HR/9). Even so, he still showed OK control with a walk rate below 3.98 BB/9 and a solid strikeout rate at 8.24 K/9, as he’s helped by the deception in his throwing motion. In high-A for San Francisco, Barnes – who is just 22 – allowed 82 hits in 98.0 innings and posted a strikeout rate of 9.09 K/9. Prior to the trade, Barnes’ ground-ball rate was about already modest at 42% and it was cut almost in half after the trade. He’ll get another shot at double-A in 2010; I’m confident he’ll make the necessary adjustments to succeed.

Up Next: The Chicago Cubs

The Cleveland Indians organization has a way of making some excellent trades. The club recently traded Casey Blake, basically a league-average third baseman, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two intriguing prospects, one of whom could immediately step into the big league bullpen.

Blake, 34, was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh round of 1996 draft out of Wichita State University. He also spent time with Baltimore and Minnesota before moving on to Cleveland as a free agent. Blake was in his sixth season with the Indians and was hitting .288/.365/.466 with 11 homers in 320 at-bats. It is an interesting trade because Los Angeles already had two interesting third base prospects playing at the Major League level (Andy LaRoche and Blake Dewitt).

Reliever Jonathan Meloan spent the bulk of 2008 in the starting rotation for Triple-A Las Vegas, which is a difficult environment to hit in. He was lights-out in the bullpen the previous three seasons in the minors. He was originally selected in the fifth round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Arizona. Meloan could be one of the more effective relievers in the Tribe’s bullpen right now with his low- to mid-90s fastball and slider.

Catcher Carlos Santana is possibly the steal of the trade deadline to this point. The converted outfielder is still learning the catch (He has caught just 22 of 97 base runners, with 16 errors and 10 passed balls) but you cannot argue with the potential in his bat. Only 22, Santana is currently hitting .323/.431/.563 with 14 homers and seven stolen bases in 350 at-bats. He has also walked 69 times with 59 strikeouts. Any time you get a young player with more walks than strikeouts you have to be impressed. The switch hitter is currently batting .341 against southpaws and .317 against right-handers. Santana is also hitting .411 with runners in scoring position.

There have been some talented prospects trade uniforms already during the 2008 trade deadline countdown but the Indians may have received the best value to date.