- Full name Johnathan Santor
- Born
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Haerther was a star at Chaminade Prep in Chatsworth, Calif., where his brother Casey was named the state's freshman baseball player of the year by one organization in 2003. Cody fell in the 2002 draft because of a perceived strong commitment to UC Irvine. The Cardinals signed him for $250,000, the largest bonus in the sixth round, and he didn't make his pro debut until last year. He topped the Rookie-level Appalachian League in hits and was among the leaders in several offensive categories, and he followed up with a strong instructional league performance. Haerther's bat is his calling card. He has bat speed, a sound approach and a good eye at the plate. He shows the ability to drive the ball and should hit for power down the road. He has decent speed. The Cardinals are trying to find a defensive home for Haerther. He has some arm strength and played third base in high school, but St. Louis moved him to left field last year. Though he has work to do in the outfield, he was more comfortable there and the Cards don't want his defense to get in the way of his bat. They'll move him to low Class A in 2004. -
Santor was a diamond in the rough, a late-round pick in 2000 who just looked rough in his first season and a half in the organization. But he added a lot of strength to a good frame and established himself as one of the better hitters in the lower levels of the organization in 2002. He led the New York-Penn League with 62 RBIs and earned a late promotion to Peoria for the Midwest League playoffs. In one stretch of the season he drove in 39 runs in 26 games. Santor is a switch-hitter with a nice swing, good balance and good hands from both sides of the plate. He understands how to hit and should be a run producer. The ball jumps off his bat. He should be an average first baseman, with good agility around the bag. Befitting his role as an underdog, Santor plays hard. In a best case, Santor would have a similar profile as Sean Casey, with good defense and a great hitting approach. He'll need to prove himself in full-season ball first, starting at Peoria.