The 2018 Hall of Fame ballot was released on Monday, and former Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana made the cut.
One of the greatest pitchers in recent Minnesota Twins history will get a chance to be immortalized in Cooperstown, as Johan Santana made his way on to the Hall of Fame ballot on Monday. In order to be elected, he must receive at least 75 percent of the vote. While that probably won’t happen, it is still cool to see a Twin on the ballot.
Santana went 139-78 throughout his 12 year MLB career with an ERA of 3.20 and a WHIP of 1.13. He won the Cy Young award twice and finished in the top five three other times. His run from 2004 to 2006 with the Twins was one of the most dominant three-year spans in recent memory. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
2004
Santana’s 2004 season with the Minnesota Twins was absolutely outstanding. He went 20-6 with an ERA of 2.61 and 265 strikeouts, along with a WHIP of 0.92. Those numbers were good enough to win the Cy Young Award and finish sixth in the MVP voting. His best game came on July 6th against the Royals. He tossed a complete game shutout and struck out 13 while giving up only three hits.
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2005
The 2005 season brought more of the same for Santana. He went 16-7 with an ERA of 2.87 while striking out 238. The Cy Young voters weren’t as kind this season though, as he finished third. It could be argued that he should’ve won, and that the voters put too much stock in pitcher wins. Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon won the award with a worse ERA and far fewer strikeouts than Santana, but five more wins.
2006
Santana’s 2006 season was the crown jewel of his career with the Minnesota Twins. He won the American League pitcher’s triple crown, leading the AL in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. He was named to the All Star team, won the AL Cy Young, and finished 7th in the MVP voting. His best game was September 5th against Tampa Bay. He struck out 12 over eight innings while allowing only two hits.
2007
This happened.
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Not Minnesota Twins: 2012
I know Santana wasn’t a member of the Twins in 2012, but I’d be remiss to not at least mention this.
Good luck to Santana in the Hall of Fame voting!