DRB Prospect Review: #16 Adrian Santana
Enduring an awful slump to begin the year, Santana closed out the season on a tear
Over the offseason, the Draybay community takes part in an exercise in which we compile a list of 30 prospects in the Rays system based on popular vote.
Now that the 2024 season has concluded, we can look back at these rankings and see how each individual player performed.
Reminder, this is a review of the prospects ranked heading into the 2024 season. This is not an updated ranking. Draysbay will begin the voting for the 2025 community top prospects later this offseason.
We have already covered the following:
- #30. Erick Lara.
- #29. Kenny Piper
- #28. Tanner Murray
- #27. Jacob Lopez
- #26. Marcus Johnson
- #25. Cole Wilcox
- #24. Dru Baker
- #23. Trevor Martin
- #22. Joe Rock
- #21. Ian Seymour
- #20. Tre’ Morgan
- #19. Brailer Guerrero
- #18. Jose Urbina
- #17. Mason Auer
We resume the reviews at #16.
16. Adrian Santana
Before the Season
18 | BT: S/R | 5’ 11” | 155
Rk | .205/.340/.256 (.597 OPS, 73 wRC+) 47 PA, 0 HR, 3 SB
Don’t let the stats above fool you, even though his bat will likely lag behind the rest of his game throughout his development. The (currently) switch-hitting Santana is a high school 2023 draft pick that was given 10 games in the Complex League to get a taste of professional life, and should slot into SS for Class-A in 2024, where his glove and speed are expected to draw rave reviews. Baseball Prospectus ranked Santana sixth in the system for his “double plus” defense, projecting him as an above average regular at short.
How it Went
After starting the season in a slump, Santana broke out halfway through. Over his final 40 games of 2024, Santana hit .297/.329/.388, registering a 111 wRC+, compared to the 67 wRC+ he produced prior. An offensive profile that presents little power, Santana needs to ensure his contact ability and on-base skills are well above average to ensure he gets the most use of his game changing speed. To his credit, despite a .300 OBP%, Santana managed snag 51 stolen bases. With Santana, his overall performance (for now) is just secondary to his developing tools. Scouts suggest that Santana could develop some power eventually that will also compliment his already plus speed and plus defense.
Final 2024 Statline
A: .240/.300/.305 | 0 HR | 51 SB | 15.8 K% | 7.5 BB% | 82 wRC+ | 455 PA