When the Cleveland Guardians signed 38-year-old Carlos Santana last winter, the move was met with skepticism.
Some said he was too old (he is 39 now, by the way).
Others swore he was finished as a legit MLB contributor.
After he and the team endured his typical slow start, they are now reaping the benefits of patience and hard work.
He has been tearing it up in May and has been an above-average hitter for quite some time now.
His stats are impressive, particularly his ability to get on base.
“Cleveland Guardians (1B) Carlos Santana reached base 4x today (3-4 RBI BB) vs the Dodgers in the team’s comeback win. Santana over his last 26 games: 26-83, 17R, 3(2B), 4HR, 21RBI, 20BB, AVG .313, OBP .448,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Cleveland #Guardians (1B) Carlos Santana reached base 4x today (3-4 RBI BB) vs the Dodgers in the team's comeback win.
Santana over his last 26 games:
26-83 17R 3(2B) 4HR 21RBI 20BB
AVG .313
OBP .448#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/gVVwk6Srvu— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 29, 2025
One of the big reasons behind the Guardians’ come-from-behind victory in the series finale against the Dodgers on Wednesday was Santana being on base four times.
After the streaking Jose Ramirez, Santana has been the best and most consistent hitter on the Guardians in the last month.
For the 2025 campaign as a whole, he is hitting a rock-solid .254/.363/.384, good enough for a 119 wRC+.
The 30-homer power he once showed is long gone, but few players know the strike zone quite like Santana.
That makes him an on-base dynamo.
It doesn’t mean he can’t run into one from time to time, as his six homers, five doubles, and 28 RBI can attest.
His real contributions, however, are his ability to get on base and his steady defense, where he has contributed 2 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and three Outs Above Average (OAA).
All things considered, the Santana signing has been a resounding success for Cleveland.
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