Carlos Santana Named AA Eastern League MVP

[Gunther]

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2009/09/cleveland_indians_farmhand_car.html

Cleveland Indians farmhand Carlos Santana named MVP of the Eastern League
Friday September 04, 2009, 1:16 PM

AKRON, Ohio -- Akron Aeros catcher Carlos Santana today was named the Eastern League Most Valuable Player.

It is the second straight MVP award for Santana, who was acquired from the Dodgers last season in the Casey Blake trade. Last year, Santana was named MVP of the California League. He joins Jordan Brown and Victor Martinez as the only Aeros ever named EL MVP.

"Carlos has had an extremely consistent and productive year, and has not taken for granted that he's exceptionally talented as a baseball player," Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins said in a team release. "He has worked to improve upon what is already good enough to afford him Major League opportunity, and he clearly has the opportunity to be one of the best at what he does."

Santana is hitting .289 with 21 home runs and 94 RBI in 127 games for the Aeros. He currently leads the league with a .518 slugging percentage, a .930 OPS, and 89 walks. He ranks second in homers, RBI, and on-base percentage (.412), is third in runs scored (89), and fourth in extra-base hits (52) and total bases (217). Santana, 23, has thrown out 30 percent of would-be base stealers to rank fifth.

Santana was the starting catcher for the Southern Division in this year's Eastern League All-Star game at Trenton, appeared in the prestigious Futures Game as part of Major League All-Star Weekend, and was selected as the catcher for the EL's season ending All-Star team last week. He has already set a franchise record for walks in a season, currently ranks fourth on Akron's single-season list in on-base percentage, and is three RBI away from tying Wes Hodges' single-season record of 97 set just last year.

The award was voted on by Eastern League team managers and coaching staffs, sportswriters, radio and television broadcast personnel and other members of the media. Santana will be honored at Canal Park after tonight's 7:05 game against the Erie SeaWolves, along with EL Manager of the Year Mike Sarbaugh and EL Pitcher of the Year Jeanmar Gomez.

Current rumor mill projects Carlos to play at AAA next season.

 

[macbdog]

For the record, the articles says that Jordan Brown, Victor and Santana are the 'only' Aeros named Eastern League MVP- the Aeros have only been around for 13 years. 3 league MVPs in 13 years, in a 12-team league, is pretty good. I wouldn't say they are the 'only' MVPs.

At the same time, it is an award that comes with caveats. A number of top prospects move through the Eastern League each year but don't qualify for the MVP because they advance to the next level and beyond. Matt Weiters is one who comes to mind just from this year. So in a way, it is also a testament to the Tribe's prospect-moving pace of slow/slower/slowest.

For example, here is a link to the league leaders in the EL the year Victor was MVP:
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/leagues/2002/East.shtml

Now look at the other names- I see 3 other guys who became bigleaguers. Not stars, just regular bigleaguers.

 

[Gunther]

For the record, the articles says that Jordan Brown, Victor and Santana are the 'only' Aeros named Eastern League MVP- the Aeros have only been around for 13 years. 3 league MVPs in 13 years, in a 12-team league, is pretty good. I wouldn't say they are the 'only' MVPs.

At the same time, it is an award that comes with caveats. A number of top prospects move through the Eastern League each year but don't qualify for the MVP because they advance to the next level and beyond. Matt Weiters is one who comes to mind just from this year. So in a way, it is also a testament to the Tribe's prospect-moving pace of slow/slower/slowest.

Agree, macbdog. Every player has their own pace and their own time table. Players like Weiters would skyrocket through anyone's system.

I like the pace they have Carlos at right now. If he tears it up next year, we can always bring him up.

I like that they are not starting his Major League Service clock ticking this year by not calling him up. Let him continue to develop. And in the future we get another year before his arbitration eligability if he is the stud everyone thinks he will be.

 

[AZ_]

Santana will not be spending much time in AAA.

My guess is that if he spends ANY time in AAA, it will be the "Matt Wieters" treatment. Get a month in AAA to push back service time than come up around mid-may to early June and take over as the starter.

 

[SoundBreaker]

Nice to see were grooming another future Yankee...

 

[The_dawg09]

Santana will not be spending much time in AAA.

My guess is that if he spends ANY time in AAA, it will be the "Matt Wieters" treatment. Get a month in AAA to push back service time than come up around mid-may to early June and take over as the starter.

I'm not so sure about that one.

If one more person compares Santana coming through the Minors to Mauer or Wieters, i'm going to smack somebody

 

[macbdog]

Why would you smack somebody? Santana is a switch-hitting C with good power, average and an outstanding batting eye. He also has a cannon for an arm and good athleticism. The only thing he lacks compared to Weiters is experience, he just became a C two years ago. Hell, if he hadn't switched positions he probably would have moved up faster and been in the bigs already. Sure as hell wouldn't have stayed in high A all of last year with an OPS over 1.000.

 

[Damage]

Why would you smack somebody? Santana is a switch-hitting C with good power, average and an outstanding batting eye. He also has a cannon for an arm and good athleticism. The only thing he lacks compared to Weiters is experience, he just became a C two years ago. Hell, if he hadn't switched positions he probably would have moved up faster and been in the bigs already. Sure as hell wouldn't have stayed in high A all of last year with an OPS over 1.000.

To belabor this point, Santana is a rare prospect. Each team has few blue chippers and Santana appears to be one of ours (along with LaPorta and maybe Rondon, Chisenhall, Weglarz and Hagadone).

 

[Gunther]

Cleveland Indians farmhand Carlos Santana named EL Player of Year
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
November 05, 2009, 3:16PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Once wasn’t good enough for catcher Carlos Santana.

Topps, the baseball card company, has named Santana its Minor League Player of the Year for the Class AA Eastern League. Santana, the Indians top position player prospect, was named MVP of the Eastern League at the end of the season as well.

The switch-hitting Santana batted .290 (124-for-428) with 30 doubles, two triples, 23 homers and 97 RBI to help Class AA Akron win the Eastern League championship this year. He scored 91 runs in 130 games, while leading the Eastern League with 90 walks, a .530 slugging percentage and a .943 OPS.

Santana, acquired from the Dodgers for Casey Blake in 2008, is expected to open next season at Class AAA Columbus. He could be in Cleveland by midseason.

Topps named a minor league player of the year for each league. The Dodgers, Rays and Yankees had two each.

SOURCE

 

[The Oi]

We got this kid for Casey Blake. Could turn out to be a pretty one-sided deal considering the Dodgers didn't even make it out of the NL the last two years.

 

[Man Called X]

Um, this dude is playing baseball now?

 

[Chris]

Will he look good in pinstripes in 6 years?

*shudder*

But I am pretty interested in how he does at the big league level. I assume he'll be up next season at some point, even if it isn't at the start.

 

[Gunther]

Will he look good in pinstripes in 6 years?

*shudder*

But I am pretty interested in how he does at the big league level. I assume he'll be up next season at some point, even if it isn't at the start.

Ouch.

Personally, I can't wait to see this kid play. I'm thinking about going down to Columbus to watch him early in the season.

 

[Chris]

Ouch.

Personally, I can't wait to see this kid play. I'm thinking about going down to Columbus to watch him early in the season.

Woah, sick, I'm in Columbus so I can go watch him if I wanted to. Hmmmm. The product down here is likely going to be better than the one on TV, sooooo....

 

[Gunther]

Woah, sick, I'm in Columbus so I can go watch him if I wanted to. Hmmmm. The product down here is likely going to be better than the one on TV, sooooo....

Yeah, I'm a dope. I'm in Akron - all I had to do last summer was go downtown and watch him and I never did it. The scouting reports and hype on this kid are sick.