Series: Houston Astros Top 5 Outfield Prospects
By Ryan Simmons
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Santana was acquired as the player to be named later during the Hunter Pence trade in 2011. This is an Ed Wade move, and if he pans out (which he probably will), we should all remember that. Then again, even a broken clock is right twice a day…
Anyhow, Santana is another strikeout machine that has shown great potential with a bat. In 2012 in the California League, Santana’s line was .302/.385/.536 with 26 doubles, 23 HR, and 97 RBI. Think of how well he would have done if he ended the season with fewer than 148 strikeouts….
Last season, his RBI numbers fell to 64 and his average down to .252. Those pesky strikeouts maintained their status at 139 though. If Santana can just get those numbers down below 100, he’ll draw more walks and most likely be responsible for a monster line at the end of 2014. Remember, he was just a 20-year old (for most of the season) at Double-A. Impressive.
Time will tell. I’m sure Ed Wade wouldn’t mind a bit of recognition in Houston.