INF Cristian Santana
Cristian Santana
Cristian Santana
Physical Description: Medium build, but well put together with muscular and strong backside and thighs, with some room to fill out his upper body.
Hit: 50
Starts with a slightly closed stance and his front heel off the ground, leading to a moderate leg kick and stride. Shows a precocious understanding of the strike zone, but his approach needs work to produce more line drive contact. Can handle breaking balls in the zone, but will chase sliders away. Currently too selective and seemingly hunts home runs at the expense of more base knocks. Should grow into an average or above-average tool if he can strike the right balance of contact and damage.
Power: 55
Displays above-average raw power despite his young age and relatively small stature, partly due to his all-out, swing-for-the-fences approach. Most home runs come to the pull field, and he may actually outproduce his raw power in games, but that could also result in an unacceptably low batting average.
Speed: 45
Currently, a fringe-average runner. May settle there or drop to a below-average as he matures. Speed and stolen bases aren’t likely to be a big part of his game.
Defense: 45
Has played mostly shortstop and second base, with a little bit of third base mixed in. His hands and actions are adequate, but he’s stretched a bit at shortstop due to fringy range and average arm strength. Arm also likely prevents him from playing much third base at higher levels, but he should settle in as a fringe-average or average second baseman.
Arm: 45
Arm strength and accuracy are average and he can make all the throws from second base, but he’s a little bit stretched when asked to throw from the left side, which leads to rushed, inaccurate throws.
Overall: Few players in the system can match Santana’s mix of hitting potential and power. The key for him to be an average or above-average regular is to find the right mix of patience and hitting ability. He’s currently a bit too passive, but should figure things out in time. Has enough defensive chops to be a solid second baseman, but he’s probably not a shortstop long-term.
What did the TMLR staff say?
Connor: Jobe was well worth the hype in 2022. He flashed excellent spin rates and movement on all four of his pitches. Not only that, but he also posted solid swing and miss stuff (9.43 K/9) just a year removed from high school. He is still learning how to be a complete pitcher. He was snake bitten by the home run ball a bit in 2022, giving up 1.63 HR/9.
Patience will be key with him, but I do think he will fast track his way through the system. Look for him to develop more stamina and better overall command for his four pitches in 2023. The expectation is he will go back to West Michigan with a chance of making Erie’s squad by years end.
Rogelio: The difference from Lakeland to West Michigan was in command. When Chris and I talked to him after his first start against the South Bend Cubs, he simply said he stopped trying to nibble and attacked the strike zone. His slider is a plus pitch, when thrown consistently but will need to build his arm strength more before he gets consideration to get a call-up. could be at second base. He shows a good eye at the plate, can work counts. His passion towards getting better, working with Alan Trammell in this past off-season on his fielding, gave a glimpse into what he is trying to improve the most.
August 27th-Chris and Rogelio