Luis Santana

Position: 2B
Level: Rk
Affiliate: Kingsport Mets
League: Appalachian League
Born: 07/20/1999 (Age: 24)
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 175
B/T: Right / Right
Acquired: Signed as international free agent July 7, 2016 (NYM); Traded to HOU 1/6/2019

Prospect Spotlight

Signed for $200K out of the Dominican Republic in 2016, the short (but not small) Santana put up a monster statline in the Appalachian League in 2018 (.348/.446/.471) before breaking his wrist the last week of the season. I saw him four times down the stretch in the Appy League.

Santana has a short swing-path with strong feel for the barrel, leading to consistent hard line drives. His approach is polished for his age, able to take walks and square up off-speed within the zone. His swing will need adjustment against better velocity, as he’s a bit noisy with his hands before the pitch and can be late on a good fastball. That seems to be a quick adjustment, and Santana projects as a 55-grade hitter on the strength of his contact ability and discipline. He has below-average raw power, and without much physical projection remaining, Santana will hit more doubles than dingers. Defensively, Santana plays an average second base with soft hands and average range. His arm is a major concern and limitation, grading to 30. He has 40 arm strength but lacks accuracy on throws from several spots and will be challenged on double play turns. Add in fringy speed, and Santana is a limited two-tool player without defensive utility.

As a 2B-only prospect, Santana lacks the power or defensive upside to make it as a regular. Despite his young age, he is physically maxed out. His hit-tool would play off the bench, but he lacks the arm for the outfield or left-side of the infield. His ceiling is that of a FV 30 upper-org depth piece who could be a role player given the feel to hit.