Grand Slamtana

 

Carlos Santana and his bat ruled the 2010s with an iron fist. Through his first decade in the bigs he cracked 232 homers, and came a way with a cumulative 30.8 WAR, which is not a bad stretch for any player in the decade of his prime years. He's made himself a place in the all-time Cleveland Guardians stats, and his place on their 2016 Championship team has made him a shoo-in for an eventual Guardians Hall of Fame kind of deal. 

Now, at 37, Slamtana is in charge of guarding first in Pittsburgh. It was a signing that I figured would signal the end of Santana's peak years. He's spent the last two seasons whittling away into obscurity, being around for power bats and not being useful for anything else. He did make waves as part of the 2022 Mariners, but he didn't hit for average, and made me think the best years were behind him. It was also telling that a team that had just lost 100 games would sign a veteran who'd had a down year. Like, we've gotta play 162 next year, you still wanna play, let's help each other out, it doesn't have to be good work but it'll be honest work.

And then, y'know, the Bucs get off to an insane start in April and stun the whole league. With Carlos Santana posting his best numbers since leaving Cleveland. 

On one hand, geographically it makes sense he's doing well in Pittsburgh. Y'know, Cleveland and Pittsburgh aren't far from each other, he's struggled in any territory that isn't a stone's throw from Cleveland, he gets back in that corner of America and starts doing well again. Granted, he only has 9 homers, but, again, he's 37. He does, however, have 43 RBIs and a 1.6 WAR, both of which I'm perfectly satisfied with. Santana has been the exact kind of steady veteran bat this team needed to help develop its young stars. Granted, Oneil Cruz has been out this year, but people like Tucupita Marcano and Rodolfo Castro have come into their own this year, with some help from Santana. I also think about some of the really new kids, like Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo, and how having someone like Santana, or even Cutch, around must really help their development.

The Bucs have had a decent stretch but dropped a crucial game yesterday, and are hanging around third. They're not completely dead yet, but the NL Central is a division where the closeness is gonna keep the race intriguing all the way through. Nobody has really separated themselves from the pack, even with how impressive four of five of them have looked at different points this year. The goal is for the Pirates to go on a run and get back over .500 before somebody takes off and makes the division a wash. I didn't think this team had a chance, but they have so many intricate pieces that could make them a sleeper hit if things keep progressing at this rate.

Coming Tonight: A third baseman for a team whose luck maaaay just be running out.