CLEVELAND – In one of the most anticipated moves in recent club history, the Indians called up top prospect Carlos Santana from Triple-A Columbus on Friday, placed the catcher in the starting lineup and batted him third.
“I was excited when I got the news,” Santana said through coach and interpreter Ruben Niebla. “I called my mom first and she was as happy as I was. She’s always supported me so she had to be my first call. But my agent and my uncle are going to be at tonight’s game.”
To make room for Santana on the 25-man roster, the Indians optioned catcher Lou Marson to the Clippers. Marson hit .191 with 15 runs, seven doubles, a home run and 12 RBIs in 45 games this season.
Cleveland acquired Santana from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 26, 2008, as part of the trade for Casey Blake.
He was named the Eastern League MVP after batting .290 with 91 runs, 30 doubles, 23 homers and 97 RBIs with the Double-A Akron Aeros in 2009 – helping the Aeros win the league championship.
Before making his major league debut Friday night against the Washington Nationals, Santana had been on another hitting tear, batting .316 with 39 runs, 14 doubles, a triple, 13 homers and 51 RBIs in 57 games with the Clippers.
“He has the ability to work the count and can hit with power from both sides of the plate,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He’s not your prototype power hitter. He looks for pitches and he doesn’t overswing. I think he has a heck of a chance to be a very good hitter at this level.”
He is 6-for-6 on stolen base attempts and has thrown out nine of 31 runners (22.5 percent) attempting to steal.
“His bat dictated awhile ago that he was probably ready to make the transition to the major leagues,” Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. “His defense, with the challenges we’ve given him, I think he’s made great strides. It’s still going to be a work in progress up here, but we thought now was the right time.”
Major influences
Santana made the move to catcher in 2007 – he had previously been a third baseman and played a little outfield in the Dodgers farm system – and said the transition has been helped greatly by two of the best and most beloved Indians catchers of all time.
Being Hispanic, a power-hitting switch hitter and now a catcher are just a few of the similarities Santana has with idol Victor Martinez. Santana wears No. 41 in tribute to Martinez and said the former Indians star provided a boost last season.
“Victor is a great person,” Santana said. “He respected me very much, as I respected him. We’ve always kept in touch and I cherish that friendship.”
Santana will be getting everyday help from another former Indians All-Star catcher and current first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr.
“I really believe that Sandy can help me,” Santana said. “He’s a person that’s played in the major leagues for a very long time, so he’s a person that’s very knowledgeable. I look forward to continuing to work with Sandy on this level.”
Ready for The Show
Nationals rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg, who struck out 14 batters in his major league debut Tuesday, was unavailable to the media Friday night, but that didn’t stop Shapiro from weighing in on the pitching phenom.
“As a player development guy, you’re thinking there’s not much development to do with that guy,” Shapiro said. “They gave him 15 starts in the minor leagues and said, ‘Here you go.’ I’d much rather watch him pitch against someone other than us, but it’ll be fun to watch him pitch.”
Strasburg will be making his first road start Sunday afternoon. Ticket sales have spiked since it was announced that the 21-year-old will start, and the Indians have converted the merchandise stand next to the Indians team shop into a Strasburg jersey stand, clearing out all other merchandise.
Minor details
The Akron Aeros have won 10 straight games to even their record (30-30) and move into a three-way tie for second in the Western Division of the Eastern League. The club record for consecutive wins is 11, set in June 2002.
• The Indians farm system continues to be ranked second among MLB teams with a 144-109 record, just behind the San Francisco Giants (150-102). Both the Captains (39-21) and the Columbus Clippers (37-25) lead their respective divisions.
Roundin’ third
Max Ambrosio, from the Minor League Hot Rods of the Avon Little League organization, threw out one of the game’s ceremonial first pitches.
• The Indians and Nationals have met one other time – a three-game series in 2007 at RFK Stadium in Washington. The Nationals won the series 2-1, and only Ryan Zimmerman and Christian Guzman remain from that Washington squad.
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.
