Alex Santana
| AB | 1320 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .259 |
| OBP | .319 |
| SLG | .365 |
| HR | 17 |
- Full name Alexander Santana
- Born 08/21/1993 in La Romana, Dominican Republic
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Mariner
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Drafted in the 2nd round (73rd overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011 (signed for $499,500).
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Santana, the son of ex-big leaguer Rafael Santana, has a big body at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds and may outgrow shortstop. He definitely has the hands and footwork to have a chance to handle third base, however, and as a projectable, athletic frame. With more strength, Santana's bat could provide the power to profile at third base. He has solid bat speed but may needs some tweaks to his swing path to project to hit for more power. He's an average runner at best and speed doesn't figure to be part of his game.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Santana played shortstop in high school like his father, Rafael, who was a big league shortstop for seven seasons. Alex will take a different road to the majors, though, as the Dodgers saw in his tall, lanky frame that he was already outgrowing shortstop and moved him to third base after signing him for $499,500 as the No. 73 overall pick in 2011. Santana was just 17 when he was drafted, making him one of the youngest players in the 2011 class, and Los Angeles knows his development will take time. He's a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter, but he has the bat speed and leverage in his swing to produce 20-homer power once he fills out his frame. His swing gets out of sync, though. He gets too long to the ball and needs to maintain a good bat path more consistently, as he gets in trouble when he tries to hit for power. He needs to put bad at-bats behind him and tends to be too hard on himself when he gets in a hitting funk. His third base play is still raw as well. He shows good hands and an above-average arm, but his set-up and first-step movements need to get better, and he's just a fringy runner. He made 24 errors in 50 games last season. The tools are there for Santana to be a run producer at the hot corner, but he's several years away and will likely head back to Ogden in 2013. -
Santana's father Rafael was the everyday shortstop for the 1986 World Series champion Mets and played in seven big league seasons. Alex was a shortstop in high school too, but it quickly became apparent he was outgrowing the position and the Dodgers moved him to third base after signing him for $499,500 as the 73rd overall pick in last year's draft. Santana was just 17 when he signed, making him one of the youngest players in his draft class. He's accordingly raw but has intriguing tools. Santana has plus bat speed and good hands at the plate, giving him above-average power potential. He's still growing into his body, though, and he looks awkward at times. His swing is a little long and Los Angeles wants him to use his legs better. He shows promising pitch recognition, but he still swung and missed too frequently in his pro debut. Santana has the actions and athleticism to stick at third base. He also has a strong arm, though he throws from a low slot and tends to get under the ball. He's not a burner but has decent speed. While Santana could break camp with Great Lakes in 2012, he'll probably stay in extended spring training before getting assigned to Ogden in June.
Minor League Top Prospects
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The son of former major league shortstop Rafael Santana went to the Dodgers in the second round of the 2011 draft. In high school, Alex played the same position as his father. With obvious signs that already was outgrowing the position, he moved to third base as soon as he turned pro. He was the best prospect on the league-champion AZL Dodgers. Despite his big league bloodlines, Santana is very raw. He struggled at the plate in his first year, hitting .238/.298/.339 while striking out in nearly a third of his plate appearances. He has good bat speed but needs to improve his pitch selection and approach. His defense is ahead of his offense right now. He has good actions and a strong arm, not to mention a solid work ethic. Though Santana didn't tear up the league, AZL Dodgers manager Jody Reed sees him as a potential five-tool player. "It wouldn't surprise me," Reed said, "because he has deceptive speed, good arm, good hands, swings the bat. He's going to hit for power. It's going to be very exciting watching this young man develop."
