Thank you, Carlos Santana: All the best with the Pirates!

Mariners players and fans alike will miss Carlos Santana in 2023! Even as a TV spectator, it was possible to see that he is a genuinely happy person as well as a hard worker. He enjoys and promotes dancing in the clubhouse, believing that the players should have fun.

After several years in the minor leagues, Santana reached Major League Baseball in 2010 to play with Cleveland. All told, Santana played 10 seasons (2010 – 2017; 2019-2020) with Cleveland. He also spent one season in Philadelphia, 1.5 seasons in Kansas City, and was part of the Mariners’ drought-breaking team for slightly more than half the season. His contract with the Pirates is for 2023.

The Mariners had some special moments with Carlos Santana in 2022

The Mariners brought Santana in on June 28, 2022, because he is a first base veteran and Ty France had suffered some injuries. (FYI, Santana also played catcher and had a stint at 3rd base too in his MLB career!)

Santana hits with authority. Fifteen of his powerful swings for the Mariners left the park. “Slamtana” is an appropriate nickname! In addition to his strength at bat, he also has a particularly good eye for determining whether balls are inside or outside of the strike zone. He can wait for better pitches or accumulate balls and get walks.

Part of what Santana believes he has to offer the Pirates is baseball experience. He has spent thirteen years in the MLB and looks forward to sharing what he offered the Mariners: veteran player leadership through his work ethic and sense of fun. He plans to continue, of course, his excellent first base playing as well as his hard-hitting.

Seattle fans are grateful to the Mariners players who travel more than any other team in MLB because their closest neighbors are the SF Giants, Oakland A’s, Colorado Rockies, and the Minnesota Twins. Although Carlos Santana grew up in Santo Domingo, DR, the Santana family has settled in Cleveland. The good news is that Pittsburgh is much closer to Cleveland than Seattle: four hours closer by plane and 33 hours by car.

Carlos, we hope that you can see your family more frequently this coming year! Please post photos of your darling girls for your Mariners’ fans and continue to excel and inspire your teammates!