Rafael Santana
| Rafael Santana | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Shortstop | |||
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Born: January 31, 1958 La Romana, Dominican Republic |
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| MLB debut | |||
| April 5, 1983, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| April 23, 1990, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .246 | ||
| Home runs | 13 | ||
| Runs batted in | 156 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Rafael Francisco Santana de la Cruz (born January 31, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who won a World Series ring with the 1986 New York Mets. He currently serves as the Dominican Republic scouting and player development supervisor for the Chicago White Sox.
Originally signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1976, Santana spent several years in their farm system before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on February 16, 1981 for a player to be named later. The Cardinals sent pitcher George Frazier to the Yankees in June to complete the deal.
Santana made the Cardinals out of spring training in 1983, making his major league debut on April 5 at third base in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 30 games, Santana had only three hits in fourteen at-bats for a .214 batting average to go along with two runs batted in.
Santana was released by the Cardinals on January 17, 1984, and signed that same day with the New York Mets. During the 1984 season, he played 51 games for the Mets, hitting a career-best .271 with a home run and 12 RBIs as the primary back-up for starting shortstop Jose Oquendo.
Oquendo was traded with Mark J. Davis to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ángel Salazar and John Young during the offseason, making Santana the regular Mets shortstop for 1985. He responded with a .257 batting average and a .965 fielding percentage for the squad that finished with 98 wins, and three games behind the Cards in the National League East.
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