Everything Phillies fans need to know about their team's newest acquisition, Carlos Santana
After a relatively quiet few days at the Winter Meetings, a major free-agent domino fell on Friday: The Phillies have reportedly signed former Indians first baseman
Santana has played just nine games against the Phillies in his eight-year career, so the City of Brotherly Love might not be too familiar with its new big bat. That's why we've assembled the following guide to help Philadelphians get acquainted.
He's an on-base machine
While you might not expect a first baseman with 30-homer power to be particularly patient at the plate, Santana's always been the exception: He's never posted an on-base percentage lower than .350, and he's twice walked more than 100 times in a season. He even got the best of
He has a truly elite Instagram presence
Here he is hanging with
He's Mr. Consistent
He might not get as much attention as baseball's top sluggers, but Santana has quietly been one of the most reliable bats in the big leagues during his career. Don't believe us? Here's a complete list of his season-long OPS+ totals: 143, 126, 121, 135, 122, 102, 123, 112. No matter what, he's going to get on base and hit 20-30 homers a year. Oh, and he's clutch, too:
He's a great teammate
The Indians had arguably the highest rate of dugout shenanigans in the league last year, and Santana was a big reason why. What better way to endear yourself to a new manager than with an elaborate pregame ritual?
What better way to boost clubhouse morale than with your fantastic dance moves?
And, crucially, he knew how to take a joke:
He comes complete with an excellent nickname
It just rolls off the tongue: Slamtana.
3-0 with #PlayersWeekend jersey! Let's keep them all year long??? pic.twitter.com/N5Hh5TRH3N
— Carlos Santana MLB⚾️ (@TheRealSlamtana) August 27, 2017
It's a Smooth signing
Look, we were contractually obligated to work a Carlos Santana joke in here. His new bench coach's name is Rob Thomson, for goodness sake.
