Defending the Cleveland Indians’ Carlos Santana’s Offense

The Cleveland Indians’ first-baseman has wrongfully drawn criticism for his offense

Over the past few weeks, battles have raged in the comments sections over Carlos Santana and whether or not he helps the team to create runs and such. Many people have argued “walks do not produce runs” and that his “swing for the fences” mentality has hurt the team.

This post is less of an analysis as much as it is an argument defending Santana’s style of play and debunking a few myths created about him. Most of the attacks on his offensive game have no factual basis, and most of the criticisms grounded in fact either misuse statistics or misinterpret statistics.

This is not an attack on any commentators or fans, and I do not mean to challenge you on a personal level. I just want to make a much-needed case defending a player who performed at an All-Star level for many years and has provided the Cleveland Indians with plenty of value.

First up, does Santana’s low batting average devalue his performance?

Next: Low Average = Bad Batter?