The Brewers announced today that they’ve optioned outfielder Domingo Santana to Triple-A Colorado Springs. In a related move, the club has elected to promote Brad Miller, whom the team acquired from the Rays just under two weeks ago.
It’s been quite the fall from grace for the soon-to-be 26-year-old Santana, who last season enjoyed a breakout campaign headlined by 30 homers, 15 stolen bases and a .278/.371/.505 batting line. That hardly seems like a fluke on the surface, considering Santana’s .362 xwOBA ranked just outside the 10th percentile among 546 hitters with at least 50 batted ball events. His hard contact rate (39.7%) and plate discipline (12% walk rate, 26.5% chase rate) also supported the argument that Santana was simply a very good hitter.
Santana’s struggles this season have been well-documented. He appears to have taken a step backwards in nearly every facet of his game. Certainly the power has mysteriously disappeared, evidenced by a mere three homers and .354 slugging percentage. But equally alarming is the fact that his walk rate has dropped off significantly; his 8.5% clip so far would be the lowest of his career by a full two points (not including an 18 PA cup of coffee in 2014). Santana’s batting average has also dropped a full 31 points even despite a marginal increase over last year’s gaudy .363 BABIP. His one stolen base thus far puts him on pace for a dramatic drop-off from the 15 bases he stole in 2017.
One of the biggest differences in Santana’s game this year is his batted ball profile. His line drive rate has plummeted from 27.4% last season to 22.8% so far in 2018. Those lost liners have all turned into ground balls, and as a result Santana’s hit the ball on the ground more than half the time this year. He’s also been chasing quite a few more pitches outside of the strike zone; his chase rate of 30.8% is a large jump from last year’s 26.5% clip.
The move likely means more playing time for Jesus Aguilar, who’s been a revelation for the Brewers this season. Aguilar, who came to Milwaukee last year after being designated for assignment by the Indians, has been one of the top ten best hitters in baseball this season. However, due in part to the return of Eric Thames to the lineup, Aguilar has sat on the bench twice in the past week. The removal of Santana from the active roster should help clear up a bit more playing time for a hitter who has certainly earned it with his 16 homers and .975 OPS.
Dudmingo Santrash
This is just stupid Domingo has been good when given opportunities to play constantly , I really hope that he gets the opportunity to get traded he’s young and has a lot of potential this has to be frustrating to him
Wow. Haven’t really been following him since I dropped him from my fantasy team back in April but I guess his struggles really continued
Same here. Had him last year as well and thought I was going to grab another late round sleeper pick. Not so much.
Yikes, didn’t realize he was struggling this season
Miller’s a left handed bat and can play infield(sort of) that’s the only reason I see to do this. Although, Santana’s is down so far and he may need to work on some things.
I’m ok with sending Santana down to get his swing which I think he will. I wouldn’t of brought up Phillips or Broxton for their defense. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Brewers check in on Elvis Andrus availability maybe send Bickford, Grishman, and ptbnl for him then just bring up Huira. I would then Arcia down , DFA Sogard and Miller. here it comes bring up Orf (lol)
BRING UP ORF
I just dont know how his bat fell off a cliff this much. This is by far his worst year in his career.
Guess this means Braun is sticking in left with Aguilar at first and Thames off the bench.
Think they are going to just ride the hot hand in left and still keep rotating the five players in four position. Plus is it me or does Aguilar look like a baby Papi lol
B I N G O ! ! !
For all the analytics and ever-changing Orwellian buzzwords and crackpot theories, it has come down to finding hot hands for years now.
Due to all the expansion as well as pitchers throwing as hard as they can and batters swinging as hard as they can -MLB is more like wiffleball then baseball. 75-80% of MLB players as well as 15-20 players in most teams farm system are interchangeable. So rosters are changed daily with call-up’s and send-downs, along with trades of my bench guy for your bench guy. Fantasy baseball for real. The hot hands play daily, the others get sent down or traded. There are very few real GM’s that build teams left. The talent [sic] is so thinned out that even most contending teams are built around 3-4 position players, 2 starters and 2 relievers. Like the rosters, the line-up’s change daily…..hoping for some guys to get hot for more then a week or two.
P.S. And I love reading MLBTR stories about teams looking for players to cover positions “for the long term”. Search on any one of multiple baseball websites. Compare a teams box scores from today against the teams box score just 3 – or even 2 – years ago.
Fantasy league for real.
Time to go back to the nursing home Goose Gosage
I lost all respect for him when he jogged to first after the catcher lost the ball on a swinging strikeout during the 10-9 loss to the Phillies. If he actually would’ve given effort…
So you don’t have respect for any big league player? Every single one has”jogged” to first in their career.
Aguilar was great last year too.
Kinda hard to get in a groove when you’re not a starter. Awful what the Brewers did.
The guy lost his power and offense. What did the brewers do that was awful?
They forced the team into a 4 man rotation of two spots while neglecting a pitching staff deeply hurt by the loss of Jimmy Nelson. This will eventually lead to their run of second half meltdowns.
Yes just awful that they improved their team by getting Cain and Yelich and want to continue playing the red hot Aguilar. Just awful
Check the game logs in April and May. Domingo was given plenty of chances to get it going and he couldnt. Now he’ll get those chances in AAA
I never thought Aguilar would be nearly this good, but I was still disappointed that the Indians never gave him much of an opportunity…a few years ago they needed a right handed power bat more than anything
I thought the same thing. Aguilar tore up the minors, and the few times CLE called him up it was brief, and he was only given a handful of ABs. He clearly was not part of their plans which is puzzling since keeping him would have spared them having to sign Alonso. I see the same thing with Francisco Mejia. The guy has nothing left to prove in the minors, but they refuse to make room for him at the major league level. I totally see them trading him by the deadline.
Yeah, I can’t blame them for thinking that he would just turn into a AAAA type because I honestly did too, but they never gave him more than a few at bats to prove it. His power was legit, and he turned into a better all-around hitter than I thought he’d be.
I don’t know if I’d say that I see the same thing happening with Mejia (plus he’s much more highly touted) but if they’re not sure they need him then I wouldn’t be opposed to trading him now in a deal for an impact player. I’d want to keep him, but teams would be lining up to get him so you can’t rule anything out.
Another player with nothing left to prove in the minors is Yandy Diaz, but they’re letting him waste away while playing Guyer. Heck, even Brandon Barnes is a better option than Guyer.
Couldn’t agree more.. How many outfielders have to go on the DL to get him a chance? 7? 8? At some point they just need to eat the 2 mil or so left on Guyers contract and give Diaz a real chance or he will be the next Aguilar.
Great point on Yandy. Promote him, put him at third, move Jose to second, and move Kipnis to the unemployment line.
If they trade Mejia they will have a riot on their hands. I think you are right though and they are going to try and use him to either bring in a long term arm for the pen.
While they’re at it, they should option Arcia as well, if he put half the effort into his hitting as much as he rips the jersey off Aguilar and generally just being an ass clown he would be fun to watch
Yet he’s one of the best defensive players in baseball.
Can you imagine sitting Aguilar in favor of any other player on the roster at this point? I sure can’t.
what happened to keon broxton? i thought he was going to be 30-30 guy is he not producing in AAA or something
The Brewers got Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich in the offseason.
Broxton’s production in AAA is no better than it was last year in the majors. Last I checked he was striking out like 35%
How is this puzzling? Sophomore slumps have been around since the beginning of the sport. Veteran pitchers often figure out 2nd year hitters and veteran hitters figure out 2nd year pitchers. Some players can figure out the slump and alter their play and become a long term productive option. Others never recover and wash out. It’ll be up to Santana which he is.
This isn’t a sophomore slump, he’s lost his rookie eligibility a couple years ago.
Last year was his first full season. Before last season he has less than 77 games played any other year. This was by all means his second full season in the bigs
He was barely playing. Let him get everyday at bats in triple a and hopefully he can turn it around. Braun is dead weight on this roster right now.
That is such an idiotic comment, braun provides more value than just his play. He is a veteran leader and would be one of the best 4th OF’s in the league. He’s hitting in the mid .300’s with runners in scoring position and has made some incredible plays in the OF. Have you watched Thames play LF? I cringe every time it’s hit to him. I understand the anger towards his PED use but don’t let it cloud your intelligence.
Yeah his .1 WAR while making $20 million this year is so valuable. What an idiot I am. He can’t stay in the lineup, there’s days at a time where he’s not available but is taking up a spot on the 25 man roster. Don’t let a few good catches cloud your judgement. Clearly has fallen off a cliff since his PED usage.
The point is we don’t need him to be an everyday player anymore. Yes he’s over paid, but that doesn’t mean he’s a useless player on a contending team.
You mean since he turned 30? Gasp. Why is he not having the same season as 6 years ago? maybe cuz he’s in his mid thirties.
Also, would you rather have Domingo Santana or Braun in the OF? I would prefer Braun.
Santana at league minimum or Braun at $20 million…. yeah that’s a tough call.
Yeah let’s cut Braun and pay him the rest of his contract. You get your wish then of Santana being up over him. Is Braun the player he was 5 years ago? No chance. That tends to happen when guys hit 33 years old though. To base his entire season (complaining about his 0.1 WAR) off of 2 1/2 months makes you sound like a Yankees fan. Overreacting way before it’s due.
Braun’s not the only 34 year old in the league who isnt playing up to his contract anymore.
Is he possibly trying to hide an injury, or did pitchers completely figure him out?
Will be interesting to see if he can ever bounce back
Smart move, he needs ABs to get out of this funk and he isn’t getting them in the majors currently.
This just reminds me of all the dumb internet GMs here who thought the guy was good. Same people trashing Kemp and Markakis as well.
So those people are dumb but you aren’t for basing everything off 2 1/2 months of the year? Gotta love that logic. Might as well give Kemp the MVP now right? By your logic Kemp’s season is done. He’s hitting .180 over the last two weeks.
As a huge, huge fan of Kemp, it pains me to say it, but for a number if years, he was a bad baseball player. His defense was historically bad.
It’s no secret he has stepped up the conditioning significantly this year, and the defensive results are supporting it.
There’s no point in pretending he wasn’t bad for a while.
The only thing I don’t get is what took so long? At least Broxton or Phillips could have added [late inning] defense. Santana just looks like he doesn’t care.
The Indians could have plugged in Aguilar and saved money. Teams get too cautious when they are trying to make the playoffs.
Sucks…..
The Brewers hosed this guy so bad. He breaks out last year and then they trade for Yelich and sign Cain. Left him without a job. Playing for his life evrey AB and then he got off to a slow start and got sporadic playing time. Started pressing and now he is AAA?
The Brewers should be ashamed of themselves. Such a reward for his great 2017. If they have have any brains and any compassion they will trade him somewhere whre they actually want him and will let him play. What an organization of jerks.. .
He should have tried harder to force his way into the lineup. Competition is a good thing, and he shouldn’t be handed anything after 1 year of playing above average.
By the way, they tried trading him in the off-season..while his value was at its highest..and nobody wanted him then. Why would they want him now?
They wanted a strong starting pitcher for him and xouldn’t Get that. He earned a chance to play a couple of months after last year. But they added TWO players to effectively take his job away. They screwed him.
He could have handled the adversity better, sure. The game is tough enough when you know your going to play every day (like last year), but when each AB seems like they key to your whole season….. this sort of thing is going to happen.
Trade him for a reliever or something know. They have no place for him and clearly don’t value him.
They added 2 superior players and you’re mad about it? In a 5 man rotation for 4 spots he was the least productive. Hopefully he gets his swing back in the minors.
What if he does? Then he spots starts and pinch hits. And he is right back where this all started. Trade the guy that you clearly don’t want and disrespected more than any player I can recall in MLB for the past decade or more.
Again, if he had any value, he’d be gone already. And it’s really tough for me to feel bad for a guy who shows zero hustle or emotion.
Some guys don’t have that kind of personality. Did he show hustle or emotion last year? The issue is the Brewers wanted too much for him pre-season. Then they screwed up his entire season and now they can’t get what they could have gotten then.
The Brewers botched this so bad. Kindergartners could have done better,
If he gets his swing back then maybe the Brewers can get something of value for him. They’re not getting out of that Braun contract so Santana is the odd man out. And disrespected more than any player in MLB for the past decade!? Blowing this way out of proportion. Are you Domingo’s Mom or something? Jeez.
He didn’t show hustle or emotion last year either. It’s part of the reason teams didn’t want to trade for him then. I’ll give you that MIL wanted too much for him at first, and lost some leverage once Cain and Yelich were on board. But the cold reality is his own demeanor then and now are his downfall. The only thing I blame the brewers for is waiting this long to demote him. It should be telling that they’re opting to play Thames in the of instead of Santana with Braun on the shelf. His trade value is nonexistent. End of story.
Guys who hit 30 HRs with an 875 OPS a year ago have value. He can do that again if given the chance. That chance isn’t going to happen in Milwaukee.
Just because his style doesn’t mesh with your vision of what a player should look and act like doesn’t mean he isn’t trying or doesn’t care.
Name another guy who hit 30 HRs as a 25 year old with good plate discipline who had to scrap for ABs the next season because his team traded for 2 players to put ahead of him on the depth chart?
Any example even close? I can’t think of any.
Even Keel. You’re talking like Santana was the second coming of Trout or Harper lol. Because he was 25 and hit 30 HR he’s guaranteed a spot? We all agree Cain and Yelich are better, Braun is going anywhere because of his contract and Aguilar has been a stud. Not to mention you just completely ignore Santana’s average at best defense. Also the brewers tried to trade him in the offseason with no takers. Clearly his value isn’t as high as your imagination.
I guess the Brewers should continue to run out Santana in right field and hope he doesn’t hurt the team. A team that’s in contention. I’m sure his 3 HR’s and 17 RBI look really deserving of an everyday role.
They should have added Yelich OR Cain and added a pitcher instead. I believe if they just ran Domingo out there every day, his season would have been comparable to 2017.
This was predestined by stupidity in the pre season. They mis mis manage this guy’s career. But since they got lucky with Aguilar all is good? Maybe for the average fan, I just hate seeing such mismanagement,.
There was no reason for things to get to this point.
He has value to AL teams only
“Guys who hit 30 HRs with an 875 OPS a year ago have value.”
Tell that to Chris Carter, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear it!
Or did you forget about him already?
Yeah the team would be doing a lot better right now with Yelich and Cobb than it is with Yelich and Cain.
And they got lucky with Aguilar this year but did not get lucky with Santana last year.
Chris Carter hit 24 home runs as a 28 year old and got non-tendered.
The next year he hit 41 home runs as a 29 year old and got non=tendered.
HailRodgers12…. you sir are an idiot
Please tell that this was sarcasm.
Santana had 187 plate appearences before June 1st. He had a job and he played himself out of it.
For comparison, Yelich had 199 plate appearences before June 1st.
Braves have been interested in him in the past, would love to see them put together some spare parts and buy low on him. Matt Wisler, Lucas Sims, Rio Ruiz, etc. We will need a left fielder next year and he would be a nice fit. Even in a down year he has been worth 0.6 WAR in 189 AB, with nicely improved defense in RF. If he can play above average defense in left and get back on track with the bat, he would be a perfect addition. Not a sure thing, but obviously worth the chance given his track record.
I don’t know if he can play lf. They moved Braun back there to open up rf for him.
But I’m sure even keel or fisher believe he can do it, so there’s that.
I remember during the off-season many of my fellow Tribe fans screaming for the Indians to trade for Santana, because of the need for a right-handed OF bat.
Sometimes the best trades really are the ones not made…..
I know Santana had good stats last year but let’s remember some of these homeruns and rbi’s were also empty ones and what I mean is that they had no impact on games because we were way ahead or they didn’t help us get back in a game. Also let’s not forget he has had 2 other orginzations have also traded him away: Phillies and Astros. Now the Brewers have made him available. Does he seem lazy at times yes but the good thing is he is only 25 and yes he still could be a very player. I also gotta agree Arcia should go down to get some work and mature some just my opinion though
the thing is there is nobody else to play shortstop. can’t go losing games because hernan and sogard are fielding like crap up the middle
Wasn’t the rumor they wanted Clevinger too?
Yes, that non trade worked out well for Cleveland
Santana will be traded very soon. No doubt.
Do you guys think maybe we could get Duffy from Tampa for a couple pitchers like Wilkerson, Ortiz and maybe Bickford?