Osmany Santana

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #27 prospect in 2001
  A Cuban defector, Santana didn’t generate nearly as much hoopla when he signed in 1998 as Danys Baez did a year later. But Santana has quietly positioned himself to make a run at a big league job in the next year or two. As a center fielder, Santana is as good at running down balls as anyone in the system. He gets a tremendous jump on flies and covers a lot of ground. At the plate, he's a contact hitter who must use the bunt to greater advantage. He doesn't have Kenny Lofton's speed or power, but Santana is just now coming into his own, so the best may be yet to come. Though he has above-average speed, Santana doesn't steal as many bases as he should. He also doesn't necessarily project as a leadoff hitter because he doesn't draw enough walks. He posted a .325 on-base percentage after his promotion to Akron, and may head back there to start 2001.