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Tomase: Santana might be best player in Sox camp you know nothing about originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Red Sox could feature three slashes on their roster this season, and while super utilitymen Enrique Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez have earned the most attention, don’t sleep on Danny Santana.
The most recent addition to camp arrived Sunday on a minor-league deal as he recovers from September elbow surgery that was expected to sideline him through April. Even if Santana isn’t ready to go right away, at some point he could give Alex Cora another weapon off his bench.
It’s easy to forget, but only two years ago, Santana busted out with the Rangers, hitting .283 with 28 homers and an .857 OPS in 130 games.
Among the damage he did was a September grand slam vs. the Red Sox, against whom he posted a 1.005 OPS, and just because he’s not a household name doesn’t mean the switch hitter couldn’t eventually make an impact.
“He’s one of those guys that, people mention his name, and they don’t even know who he is, right?” Cora said on Wednesday. “Like, ‘Who’s Danny Santana?’ But when they look at what he did two years ago, they’re like, ‘Wow, he can do some special things.'”
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the 30-year-old is versatile. He has played every position except pitcher and catcher during his seven-year career, and he brings more than power to a lineup. He is considered a league-average defender at second and third, and can play center, too. He earned Rookie of the Year votes after stealing 20 bases with the Twins in 2014, and even if he has only delivered two standout offensive seasons, we at least know he possesses a high ceiling based on 2019.
“I mean, he hit the ball hard, especially from the left side against us,” Cora said. “Just a complete player, but the fact that he runs, too, is very important to the equation. He’s a good athlete. You look at the numbers and you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s eye opening.’ Obviously, plate discipline is something we will keep preaching to him. Talking to some people with the Rangers, he can get away from that, and when he doesn’t do that, it’s like everybody else. He struggles. But when he’s disciplined in the zone, there’s not too many swings and misses there. He can hit the ball hard, and just looking forward to seeing him go out there and do his thing offensively.”
Tomase: A lot has happened since we last heard a word from John Henry
As Cora alluded, even in his breakout season, Santana struck out 151 times. Last year’s follow-up was a disaster, in part because he bulked up for an anticipated move to first base. He instead delivered an Andrew Benintendi-style washout, hitting .145 in only 15 games before shutting it down to undergo a modified Tommy John procedure on Sept. 9.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder slimmed down this winter, Cora said. He remains in the middle of a throwing program and hasn’t yet been cleared to play, with the Red Sox taking extra care not to rush him, since his positional flexibility requires throws from different angles.
His most immediate impact would likely come at first base, where he could provide a left-handed compliment to starter Bobby Dalbec.
“Physically, he looks a lot better than last year,” Cora said. “He looks kind of like what he looked in ’19. I think last year the plan was for him to play first base, so he got bigger, and I don’t think that helped him out. Obviously the injury happened. He’s more mobile now and in a better spot.”
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