Danny Santana

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #9 prospect in 2014
  A late bloomer, Santana reestablished himself as a prospect in 2012, when he initially platooned with 2011 first-rounder Levi Michael at high Class A Fort Myers and eventually outplayed him. General manager Terry Ryan has raved about Santana's skill set, makeup and clubhouse standing. When the Twins' regional cable network televised a late-season Double-A New Britain game, Santana stole the show by going 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored. As he continues to add muscle to his compact frame, the switch-hitting Santana has all-around offensive ability and is making himself into more of a gap-power threat at the plate. His strikeout rate jumped last season and his two-strike approach still needs work, as does his overall patience, especially if he's going to stay in the leadoff spot. He finished the year with 32 errors, partly because of his plus range but also due to his tendency to let his mind wander in the field, but managers voted him the Eastern League's best defensive shortstop. His arm grades plus and he can move to his left or his right equally well. A plus runner, Santana continues to improve his attention to detail, stealing 30 bases for the first time in 2013. Twins incumbent Pedro Florimon shines on defense and still is two full seasons away from arbitration eligibility. That leaves Santana at Triple-A Rochester to begin 2014, where his continued progress could either push Florimon or give the Twins a much-needed trade chip in the search for starting pitchers.
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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #11 prospect in 2013
  With his bat slow to develop, Santana fell into a utility role in 2011, spending time in center field as well as the middle infield. In his fifth season as a pro, he broke through in 2012. He alternated series between second base and shortstop for most of the season with 2011 first-round pick Levi Michael, but Santana outperformed him and finished the season as Fort Myers' regular shortstop. Santana's best tools are his speed and his throwing arm. He needs to polish his baserunning skills, but he's a plus runner down the line and has well above-average speed once under way. His throws have plenty of carry and he has become a more consistent defender as he has matured, though he still tends to botch more routine plays than he should. A switch-hitter, Santana has good swings from both sides of the plate that are geared for contact. He has little home run power as a lefty but more pop as a natural righty. He put together more consistent at-bats in 2012, tempering his aggressiveness somewhat. His lack of plate discipline could limit him to the bottom of a big league batting order. Santana reminds some scouts of Pedro Florimon, the light-hitting minor league veteran who finished the year as Minnesota's regular shortstop. The Twins believe Santana, who was added to the 40-man roster in November, has more offensive upside. They will send him to Double-A in 2013.
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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #20 prospect in 2011
  While Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco attracted more attention as big-money Dominican Republic signees in 2009, Santana was at the vanguard of the Twins' renewed efforts in the baseball hotbed. He signed in December 2007, soon after turning 17. Santana's bat may take a while to develop, but the Twins showed faith in him by jumping him to low Class A last May as they shuffled the system's middle infielders, and the dominoes left Beloit an infielder short. Santana wasn't ready for the colder weather or the level of competition but has the tools to play there in 2011. He'll need to polish up his hitting skills and become more aware of game situations on both sides of the ball. Santana is one of the organization's better runners, earning 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale, and has the first-step quickness to play either middle-infield spot. His plus arm, actions and footwork should make him a good defender at shortstop with experience, and scouts like how his hands work. Those hands also give him some pop at the plate, and Santana hit four homers in his month at Elizabethton last summer. His biggest problem offensively is his aggressiveness, as he often hacks at the first fastball he sees, rarely draws walks and gets himself out too often. He also needs more maturity, as Santana's inconsistent effort earns criticism inside and outside the organization. He'll be young for the Midwest League when he returns there as a 20-year-old this season.
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #25 prospect in 2010
  Santana is one of several young shortstops who excite the Twins, a group that includes Australian James Beresford and 2009 Dominican signee Jorge Polanco. Santana has performed the best so far, showing impressive tools in the Gulf Coast League last summer. One club official said he had the highest ceiling of any middle infielder the club has had since acquiring Cristian Guzman from the Yankees in the Chuck Knoblauch trade in 1998. Santana is raw in terms of his approach at the plate, but he has electric ability. He has registered top-of-the-line 3.6-3.7 second times to first on drag bunts and hit grand slams in back-to-back games in August--one over the center-field fence, the other an inside-the-park job. His defensive ability also helps him stand out, as he has soft hands to go with above-average arm strength and range. While he has a feel for making contact, Santana is too aggressive at the plate and needs overall refinement and polish. His emergence and the system's overall depth at the position enabled the Twins to trade 2008 second-round pick Tyler Ladendorf to the Athletics for Orlando Cabrera, a key acquisition for last year's playoff drive. Santana has a chance to earn the Beloit shortstop job in 2010, provided Beresford moves up to Fort Myers.

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: With his bat slow to develop, Santana fell into a utility role in 2011, spending time in center field as well as the middle infield. In his fifth season as a pro, he broke through in 2012. He alternated series between second base and shortstop for most of the season with 2011 first-round pick Levi Michael, but Santana outperformed him and finished the season as Fort Myers' regular shortstop. Scouting Report: Santana's best tools are his speed and his throwing arm. He needs to polish his baserunning skills, but he's a plus runner down the line and has well above-average speed once underway. His throws have plenty of carry and he has become a more consistent defender as he has matured, though he still tends to botch more routine plays than he should. A switch-hitter, Santana has good swings from both sides of the plate that are geared for contact. He has little home run power as a lefty but more pop as a natural righty. He put together more consistent at-bats in 2012, tempering his aggressiveness somewhat. His lack of plate discipline could limit him to the bottom of a big league batting order. The Future: Santana reminds some scouts of Pedro Florimon, the light-hitting minor league veteran who finished the year as Minnesota's regular shortstop. The Twins believe Santana has more offensive upside and will send him to Double-A in 2013.