Minnesota Twins: 5 Players To Regress In 2015
Sep 21, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Danny Santana (39) throws to first in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Probably the second most likely candidate for regression in 2015 with the Twins, is second-year player Danny Santana. Having played primarily as an unknown in the outfield a season ago, you can bet that opposing pitchers will have had more time to study Santana’s tendencies this season. The positional shift to shortstop could also deter Santana’s focus at the plate to a certain extent.
In 2014, Santana posted a .319/.353/.472 slash line for the Twins. His 98 strikeouts as opposed to only 19 walks could catch up to him in 2015. As pitchers realize that Santana is prone to swing the bat, they will try to force him to fish for pitches out of the zone. Batting in what will likely be the leadoff spot, Santana will be relied upon to be the table setter. Paul Molitor will look to utilize his speed on the basepaths, but it is only an asset if he can reach at a relatively high clip.
I’d argue it’s fair to believe that Santana can continue to round out into a solid major leaguer, that being said, I would also caution that 2014 might be the outlier rather than the norm. The Twins should be ecstatic if Santana can play a good shortstop, bat around .280, and cut down on his strikeouts in the year ahead.