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Fantasy Baseball 2015: Danny Santana Is Likely To Be Overvalued

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By @bradberreman24

Danny Santana, Minnesota Twins, Fantasy Baseball

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Danny Santana was a surprise contributor for the Minnesota Twins last season, with a slash-line of .319/.353/.472, seven home runs, 40 RBI, 70 runs scored, 20 stolen bases and 27 doubles in his first big league action. By default he wound up starting 62 games in center field, but he also made 31 starts at shortstop and new manager Paul Molitor said Santana will come to spring training at his natural position.

Santana will be eligible at both shortstop and in the outfield in most fantasy baseball leagues next year, but can he repeat the success of his rookie season?

One of the primary red flags from Santana’s 2014 season is the fact he took just 19 walks over 430 plate appearances while striking out 98 times. His Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) was also a very inflated and fortunate .405, which coupled with a middle of the road contact rate (75.8 percent) makes a .300 batting average unlikely to be repeated in 2015.

Santana is not going to be a notable power hitter for fantasy owners, particularly due to playing his home games at Target Field, but a full season with the Twins (and another 100 at-bats?) means double-digit home runs can’t be totally ruled out next year. Add that to solid contribution in plenty of other categories, and Santana is line to maintain good fantasy value even if his batting average does inevitably drop off.

Across the board production and multi-position eligibility are Santana’s greatest assets to fantasy owners, but anyone that considers drafting him needs to be careful not to overvalue him based on last season. I think there’s a good chance he goes off the board a round before he should in a lot of drafts, and for a dollar or two more than he should in auctions, but those that are able to wait and get Santana late in a mixed or AL-only league draft should be happy with the return they get.

Danny Santana 2015 Fantasy Projection: .280 batting average, 10 home runs, 55 RBI, 25 stolen bases, 80 runs scored

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter or Google +.

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