Cleveland Indians first baseman and designated hitter Carlos Santana will enter the Home Run Derby during the All-Star Break.
It is not a surprise that one of the Cleveland Indians players will participate in the Home Run Derby. Cleveland will be hosting the All-Star festivities this season and traditionally a player from the host team participates in the Home Run Derby. The last time a player from the host team did not participate in the Home Run Derby was 2012 in Kansas City. Robinson Cano infamously did not pick a Royals player and was subsequently booed during the contest. Carlos Santana gets the call for the Tribe and will look to be the third home team participant in the last five years to win the derby.
Carlos Santana is having one of his best years in his career at the plate this season. Santana is slashing .291/.413/.538 with an OPS of .951 in 77 games this season. This has led to 17 home runs, the most notable statistic when heading into the Home Run Derby. Santana is currently on pace to hit 35 home runs this season. This number would be a career-high. That is as long as Santana continues to hit at this pace.
Some thought that players such as Francisco Lindor or Jose Ramirez may enter the Home Run Derby. Either Lindor or Ramirez would have been fun to watch, however in the end Carlos Santana was the choice and that is not a bad thing. Ramirez struggled to get things going this season but is turning things around lately. The potential for a poor performance from Ramirez was a real possibility and it is best to not have someone come up and hit zero home runs.
Carlos Santana will look to be the Indians first Home Run Derby Champion. All of Cleveland will be behind him rooting for him to come out victorious.
