Domingo Santana: could he be a star?

[endaround]

How much of Sanatna's recent hot streak is due to them protecting him from RH pitchers? He's been killing LH pitchers this year but RH pitcher are his bane. He's been in at least a soft platoon for the past few weeks.

[pacopete4]

How much of Sanatna's recent hot streak is due to them protecting him from RH pitchers? He's been killing LH pitchers this year but RH pitcher are his bane. He's been in at least a soft platoon for the past few weeks.

 

Counsell had definitely played the match ups well but this is a good thing with a young player. Santana was rushed to some extent and needed to regain confidence and Counsell has done a nice job since the injury of helping him along.

[reillymcshane]

How much of Sanatna's recent hot streak is due to them protecting him from RH pitchers? He's been killing LH pitchers this year but RH pitcher are his bane. He's been in at least a soft platoon for the past few weeks.

He did that with Broxton for a while as well. Remember everyone complaining about Kirk N playing all the time?

 

Perhaps he's just trying to get the younger guys who have been struggling into a position to succeed in some fashion. Then they can build on that success. It's really something that probably works best on a case-by-case basis. It's probably a good strategy for some players, but not others. You just have to know the player and feel you understand what makes them tick and what will get them to respond.

[gregmag]

How much of Sanatna's recent hot streak is due to them protecting him from RH pitchers? He's been killing LH pitchers this year but RH pitcher are his bane. He's been in at least a soft platoon for the past few weeks.

He did that with Broxton for a while as well. Remember everyone complaining about Kirk N playing all the time?

 

Perhaps he's just trying to get the younger guys who have been struggling into a position to succeed in some fashion. Then they can build on that success. It's really something that probably works best on a case-by-case basis. It's probably a good strategy for some players, but not others. You just have to know the player and feel you understand what makes them tick and what will get them to respond.

I think this is exactly right, and I may have even written something similar (or I may have just written it in my fevered brain). I yield to no one in my Broxton fanaticism, but I had no problem with CC soft-platooning him, and I have the same view on Santana, whom I'm also high on. Let these guys operate at first in more of a comfort zone, and gradually move them toward full-time roles. As long as it's not too lengthy or too rigid, it seems like a great approach.

[homer]

This is a Fangraphs article with stats and video showing differences in DS's swing from last year to this year. It's from April and the results weren't there but the author seemed to think he was on the verge of a big improvement.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/domingo-santana-is-making-the-george-springer-adjustment/

[ZBTMP]

The sample sizes are far from meaningful, but the Domingo breakout watch should be on high alert. Santana is missing less and swinging less at pitches outside the zone so far this season. I have confidence that Santana will not maintain a 0.154 BABIP all season.

[stoutdude04]

The sample sizes are far from meaningful, but the Domingo breakout watch should be on high alert. Santana is missing less and swinging less at pitches outside the zone so far this season. I have confidence that Santana will not maintain a 0.154 BABIP all season.

 

Yea, we have had some hard hit balls that have been caught early on.