As we enter the month of June, the Indians have experienced their fair share of uncertainty in 2019, which has left the fanbase feeling rather demoralized and underwhelmed.
Who could have foreseen the Twins owning the best record in the entire league? Who could have envisioned Jose Ramirez declining so drastically?
Thankfully Cleveland have at least one pillar of consistency to rely upon, in the shape of Carlos Santana.
The 33 year-old made his major league debut with the Tribe in 2010 and spent 8 successful years with the Indians before joining the Phillies as a free agent in December 2017. After a year away in the National League and a brief 10-day tenure with the Mariners, Santana returned to Cleveland almost a year to the day he departed, part of a three-team trade with Seattle and Tampa Bay.
It's safe to say that his homecoming has been a huge success thus far, and Indians fans have welcomed him back with open arms.
It's like he never left, like 2018 never happened.
To date, Santana has posted an impressive slashline of .286/.405/.510. The veteran's .915 OPS, 11 home runs, 11 doubles, 37 RBIs, 40 walks, and 34 runs scored all lead the club. With the majority of his teammates under-performing, Santana has been the only reliable bat in Terry Francona's arsenal.
His patient approach at the plate always made him a difficult out for opposition pitchers but Santana has tweaked his approach in 2019 to raise his offensive contribution significantly. A combination of aggressiveness (when he previously would be happy to take a walk) and his ability to spread the ball to all-fields has helped counter those pesky defensive shifts his opponents would usually deploy. Santana has begun to take advantage of the gaps willingly offered to him, and the Indians have benefited enormously. It's a scary proposition to think where this team would be without Santana this year.
With Cleveland hosting the All-Star Game, is Santana on track to represent the Tribe on 9th July?
Despite his history of consistency, the veteran has never featured in the Midsummer Classic, but perhaps this could finally be his year. His competition at first base includes:
- Miguel Cabrera - .284 AVG, 2 HR, 22 RBI, .712 OPS
- Jose Abreu - .246 AVG, 15 HR, 50 RBI, .797 OPS
- C.J. Cron - .275 AVG, 13 HR, 38 RBI, .873 OPS
- Edwin Encarnacion - .245, 15 HR, 37 RBI, .849 OPS
- Luke Voit - .268 AVG, 15 HR, 39 RBI, .901 OPS
- Mitch Moreland - .228 AVG, 13 HR, 34 RBI, .870 OPS
Glancing at that group, Santana should warrant serious consideration to be the starting first baseman for the American League. At the time of writing there doesn't appear to be an overwhelming choice so if Santana can maintain his current form until the end of the month, he will put himself in a strong position to feature in his first All-Star Game.
And where better to make your All-Star debut than Cleveland, the city he's called home for close to a decade?
I can think of no finer representative, and will be voting for Santana as often as MLB lets me.
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