FORT MYERS, FLA . – Danny Santana has excellent range and a strong arm. He is agile, can be acrobatic and can turn a double play. Everything he does on an infield screams shortstop.
There might not be a position on a baseball field with a brighter spotlight on it than shortstop. And maybe the spotlight was just too bright for Santana, as talented as he is. He made too many mistakes. He missed too many plays.
"When I play in the infield, there are a lot of things to think about," Santana said. "I try hard, but I have to think about a lot."
So the Twins told the 25-year-old Santana to report to spring training planning to spend a lot of time in center field. The Twins aren't retiring his shortstop glove just yet, as Santana, who is out of minor league options, can contribute off the bench as a backup infielder and outfielder or pinch runner. And, if Byron Buxton has a poor spring or is injured, Santana could end up as their Opening Day center fielder.
"There certainly is a position for a guy like him because he can do so many things," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said. "He switch-hits. He certainly can cause a lot of havoc on the bases. I would hope he would take advantage of that situation this year."
Sophomore slump
The decision comes after Santana tantalized everyone with a 2014 rookie season in which he batted .319 in 101 games with seven home runs, 40 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 24 attempts. A switch-hitter, he seemed to be the Twins' next top-of-the-order specialist. But the warning signs were that he walked only 19 times in 430 plate appearances and led everyone with at least 400 plate appearances with a .405 batting average on balls put into play — which meant seemingly everything he touched turned into a hit.
And Santana came crashing back to earth last season. He hit only .218 in his first 49 games before being demoted to Class AAA Rochester in early June. He returned toward the end of the month but hit .217 over a 25-game span and was sent down again. The Twins turned to Eduardo Escobar and Eduardo Nunez at short down the stretch, with Escobar eventually hitting his way into most of the playing time.
With Escobar given the shortstop job for this season already, the Twins need to find a role for Santana.