LAKELAND, Fla. — Cristian Santana was hard to miss during the Tigers’ Minor League minicamp over the past month. As the minicamp closed with an intrasquad scrimmage on one of the back fields at TigerTown, he was seemingly everywhere in the infield.
First, he went to the ground to make a deft backhanded stop on a hard-hit ball from Andre Lipcius, throwing him out before he could get back on his feet. Then he went deep into the hole for a diving stop on Spencer Torkelson, who beat Santana’s throw to first — again from the ground — by barely a step.
“I’m working on my footwork,” Santana said through the interpretation of player development coordinator Jose Sajour. “Thanks to that, my extension is getting better and that helps me reach out on defense.”
Finally, he ranged into short center field to track down a tricky popup, making it look easier than it really was.
It was a fitting parting performance for Santana, the No. 9 prospect in the Tigers system according to MLB Pipeline. He made so many plays, he seemed to be playing two positions. He’d already made a believer out of those who have been playing alongside him the last few weeks.
“I told you guys he’s a special player,” fellow shortstop prospect Ryan Kreidler said. “It’s been really, really fun to watch him work. He’s a very confident person. I think people are excited about him for a good reason. I think he’s got what a lot of people like to see in a shortstop. He’s super, super talented and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s fun to watch.”
For many outside the organization, this minicamp was the first opportunity to really watch Santana, who spent last year in the Dominican Summer League after signing in January last year for a record $2.95 million bonus.
Normally, young players like Santana — even with the attention that came with his signing bonus — would be working on the back fields in relative obscurity while fans, reporters and others focused on the more familiar names in big league camp. But with Major League Spring Training delayed while a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was negotiated, the Tigers’ Minor League minicamp had a level of attention unlike ever before.
Santana stood out not only for his glove and his range, but for his quick, dangerous bat. He sprayed balls around the field in previous scrimmages, but also avoided some of the swing-and-miss issues that players of his age and experience level often show when pitted against older competition. He worked a walk Thursday against side-arming reliever Tanner Kohlhepp, despite the unorthodox arm angle.
“I’ve had an opportunity to see more types of pitchers than I had in the Dominican Republic,” Santana said. “At the end of the day, that helps to build up my bat. I’m still true to [my] style, so I always wait for the pitch, even though every pitcher is different.”
Santana also showed good speed on the basepaths, though as expected, he’ll benefit from experience of reading pitchers and their moves to take advantage.
It was a chance for Santana to not only make a statement, but create a fan following. From the folks who came to Joker Marchant Stadium to watch intrasquad scrimmages last week to the fans who gathered along the outfield fence to watch Thursday’s scrimmage, many more people outside of the Tigers’ organization now know about the young prospect.
“I love that for the first time, I have fans,” Santana said. “It’s something new for me, but at the same time, it’s very exciting.”
Where Santana goes from here should also be an exciting path to follow. The logical first step would be the Florida Complex League, and though Santana has shown advanced skills for his age, he’s still just 18 and hasn’t played a regular-season game in the United States.
How quickly Santana could progress depends on a lot of factors and could provide an early litmus test for the organizational philosophies under new vice president of player development Ryan Garko. In recent years, the Tigers liked to keep players challenged with in-season promotions. However, outfield prospect Jose De La Cruz struggled last year when he bypassed the Florida Complex League and went to Low-A Lakeland for his first stateside assignment. He was eventually reassigned to the FCL.
Wherever Santana goes, he has the confidence to be ready for the challenge.
“I feel that I’ve shown a good performance so far,” Santana said. “I’ve shown the coaches the hard work [I have] done during the early years, but I believe that there’s much more to come, because at the end of the day, I’m aiming for higher levels, but I still have a lot to learn in order to reach that.”