Future Rookies: Carlos Santana DVX

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Welcome back to Future Rookies. Today I’m going to look at a couple of guys that were suggested by AussieDodger in the discussion thread in Baseball Leftovers. If you have suggestions on guys you’d like to see in this space, post them in that thread or e-mail us at fbcmailbag@gmail.com. Matt LaPorta is back in the minor leagues and back in the hitter’s table found later in the column. He struggled in his initial major-league tryout, like so many young players do. He should be back to annihilating Triple-A in no time.

 
Featured Add – Hitter

 
Carlos Santana, C, CLE, Age 23, Double-A

Speaking of LaPorta, the Indians have another great hitting prospect on his way up the minor league ranks in Carlos Santana. The catching prospect came over to the Cleveland organization in a trade with the Dodgers last year and continued to rake, compiling great slash stats along the way. He’s moved up to Double-A this year and it has been more of the same, with a .955 OPS built upon an elite walk rate. If Santana can bring that plate discipline to the majors, he’s likely to establish himself as a top-10 catcher right away. A lot of attention goes to Matt Wieters (and deservedly so), but don’t make the mistake of forgetting about Santana.

 
Hitter Performance Review (as of 6/1/09)

 
Featured Add – Pitcher

 
Jake Arrieta, SP, BAL, Age 23, Double-A

A working knowledge of the Baltimore Orioles will provide you with the impression that they have been a great hitting ball club with some of the worst pitching in the league the last few years. The Baltimore front office has done a lot to fix that, drafting Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz in recent years, while acquiring Chris Tillman (tracked below) in the Erik Bedard trade. Of the three prospects, Arrieta probably gets paid the least attention, but he’s quite good in his own right, so good that he’d be the top minor league arm in many organizations. He’s had consistent control problems, but his K-rate has leaped up this year. He’s striking out over 11 batters per nine innings! While I wouldn’t expect to see the Double-A pitcher in the majors this year, he’s definitely a prime target for the forward-thinking dynasty owner.

 
Pitcher Performance Review (as of 6/1/09)

I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Future Rookies. Remember to post and send in your questions and requests!

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