(Free Preview of Premium Content)Danny Santiesteban is a name that Twins fans should get used to. An outfielder who can even play third base, Santiesteban has turned heads in his first two weeks as a professional baseball player. A slugger with power to all fields, he has led the GCL Twins to a 6-5 record, and second place in the GCL South standings.
In his high school days, Danny played ball at Brito Miami Private School in Miami. As a junior, he led his team to the Florida Class A State Championship. In his senior season, he would hit .800 in the state semifinal and championship games combined, but they would lose the championship game 13-1.
The Seattle Mariners would come calling on draft day that year, selecting Santiesteban with the 1255th pick overall in the 42nd round. Feeling he could go higher, Danny decided to attend Palm Beach Community College.
In 2004, the Twins picked Santiesteban with the 1171st pick overall in the 39th round. A draft-and-follow, Danny would play two seasons with Palm Beach before deciding it was time to turn pro. After finishing up his sophomore season just three weeks ago, he would sign a contract and go play for the Gulf Coast League Twins.
It didn’t take long for Danny to jump start his professional career. He homered in his second game, and would have four overall by the time he was done playing in his fifth professional game. On July 4, Santiesteban hit his fifth of the season, giving him the league lead. With four multi-hit games, he is currently batting .342.
Batting mostly from the clean-up spot, he has been huge in the pressure situations. With runners on, he is batting .474 with four home runs and 12 RBI. With runners in scoring position, he is hitting at a .417 clip with two home runs and eight RBI. On the road, when the team needs a lift the most, Santiesteban is batting .400 with all five of his home runs coming away from home.
As the season wears on, Danny is all over the leaderboard in numerous categories. He is leading the league in home runs with five, RBI with 13, and slugging percentage with a .789 clip. Also, the centerfielder is second in runs scored with ten behind teammate Richard Sojo.
It looks like the 20-year old made the right decision by going to community college. If he had decided to go pro right out of high school, he would be in the Mariners’ farm system right now. It is a good thing for Twins fans that he waited.