RADIO
Domingo Santana 2020 Outlook: Power Source Seeking A New Home
5 years agoA move to the American League seemed to spark Domingo Santana, as he played well when healthy last year and put a forgettable 2018 season behind him. But he was squeezed out of the mix in Seattle just like he was in Milwaukee, and now he will have to start anew somewhere else. There is a lot of natural power in his 6-5, 220 frame and he even added eight steals to boot last season. Santana’s xSLG of .492 was his highest mark yet. He still strikes out a lot (32.3%) and it may be a challenge for him to hit .270 or add much more in SBs as evidenced by the xBA of .257. But his ISO climbed back up last season (.188 from .147 in 2018) and his walk rate improved over the previous season (9.9 from 8.5). Santana hit .292 with six home runs in April and .295 with eight home runs in June, and those pairs of months demonstrated he could still provide good power production for some stretches. The move to a team that gave him a regular role early on appeared to boost his confidence. But he only appeared in 31 games after the All-Star break as he battled an elbow problem. Santana likely won’t approach his 2017 totals again, but he can still be a quality Roto piece for supplementary power with an ADP of 347.87.
