Are Danny Santana’s Days as the Everyday Shortstop Nearing an End?
By Brennen Rupp
Danny Santana‘s days as the Minnesota Twins starting shortstop are numbered. After having a stellar rookie season, Santana is in the middle of a serious sophomore slump. Say that five times fast.
Santana is currently hitting .236 with 44 strikeouts. He has committed ten errors and could benefit from some time in Triple-A to reset. His 44 strikeouts are second among shortstops. His ten errors are fifth among shortstops.
Santana’s season was summed up through six innings of play tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays. In the second inning he struck out for the 44th time. In the fifth inning he misplayed a line drive that appeared to be a routine play to start the inning. Three batters later, Josh Donaldson hit a three-run home run that tied the game at four. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Santana reached first base after a Jose Reyes error. He was then picked off.
Santana’s days could be numberer simply because the Twins have options. Let’s take a look at those options.
- Eduardo Escobar has played six games at shortstop this season. He started 86 games at shortstop last season. This season he’s hitting .248 with two home runs and 17 RBIs.
- Eduardo Nunez has started 141 games at shortstop. He has yet to start a game at shortstop this season, but that has more to do with him spending time on the disabled list. If the Twins wanted to move on from Santana, they could use a platoon of Eduardo’s at shortstop.
- If the Twins wanted to give a young guy a shot, Jorge Polanco is their man. The Twins seventh rated prospect played five games with the Twins last season and handled himself like a veteran. In six at-bats, he hit a double, a triple and drove in three runs. In Double-A this year, Polanco is hitting .318 with four home runs and 21 RBIs.
Will Twins manager, Paul Molitor make a switch at shortstop? If Santana continues to have nights like tonight, he won’t be in the lineup much longer. The Twins have options and Molitor won’t shy away from making a change.