Carlos Santana Will Represent Indians at Home Run Derby in Cleveland
By James.r
We officially know who Cleveland will be rooting for on All-Star Saturday when it hosts its first midsummer classic since 1997 at Progressive Field in July.
According to Cleveland.com's Hayden Grove, the Indians will be represented by slugging first baseman Carlos Santana at the Home Run Derby.
Carlos Santana says he'll represent the Indians at the 2019 Home Run Derby during All-Star Week at Progressive Field. #Indians https://t.co/wsQ8BGH05b
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) June 25, 2019
Santana has bounced back remarkably from a tough 2018 with the Phillies, his lone season not on the Indians roster. He's batting .291 and, more importantly in this context, has added 17 big flies. Santana leads the Indians in just about every major hitting category, so it makes sense that he was chosen to participate in this year's event.
He probably won't be hitting balls out of the stadium –– his longest homer this season was only 426 feet –– but he has a knack for getting it over the wall.
Indians manager Terry Francona attributes the 33-year-old's great performance this year to Santana's return to the Tribe, and it's hard to argue with that notion. He clearly seems comfortable in Cleveland.
Terry Francona believes Carlos Santana has had success this year because he’s back “home.” #Indians pic.twitter.com/v4CBpdmEtA
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) June 24, 2019
It should be fun to see how the rest of the Derby field shapes up -- in the era of the long ball, there are plenty of names to choose from.