Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Young Superstars #2 - Benny Santiago


After a cup of coffee with the Padres in late 1986, Benito Santiago won the 1987 National League Rookie of the Year award. He was an All Star five times and three time winner of the Gold Glove.

While his career may be marred by steriod allegations, he was for nearly twenty years a very durable (though at times error prone) catcher. While his productivity at the plate wasn't the best in the league at his position, he was an above average hitter who early in his career possessed adequate speed (21 stolen bases in 1988).

This is a great looking card, capturing the ball in flight just as it left the bat. The quote on the back from from Tigers GM Bill Lajoie makes me wonder though. How many Hall of Fame votes will he get? I doubt enough to stay on the ballot more than his first year.

Benito Santiago's career statistics

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