"Remember the days when, before the start of each season, one of the main topics of concern for the Yankees was the shortstop position? As the 1989 season approached there was no talk no talk of shortstop, nor about the person who would play it. This is in itself is a testimony to the job Rafael Santana has done for his team.
Former Yankee second baseman Willie Randolph played with over 30 partners in the middle infield, and the position never really was filled after the departure of Bucky Dent in 1982. Getting this veteran of nearly five seasons with the Mets has been worth the effort. Santana, much like Dent, is consistent, not flashy. His role is to make the routine play to get the job done. 'I know what I'm capable of doing,' he says. 'I may not be a Tony Fernandez or Cal Ripken, but I have confidence in my ability.'
A World Series winner in 1986 and a participant in several pennant races, Santana had the experience he needed last year to overcome both a slow start and a nagging elbow injury. This native of the Dominican Republic is again ready to be a stabilizing force in a pennant race."
-The New York Yankees Official 1989 Yearbook
"On Opening Day of 1988, April 5 against Minnesota, Santana became the 35th (of 36)players to play for both the Yankees and the Mets. He began his Yankee career by grounding into a triple play, third-to-second-to-first, off Tippy Martinez with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. It was the first triple play turned against the Yankees since Kansas City's on May 3, 1985.
Santana committed an error on [an attempted] double play in the first inning on April 11 at Toronto that led to six runs for the Blue Jays (four unearned) in Toronto's eventual 17-9 win. He hit his first home run as a Yankee on April 18 at Minnesota, a solo shot off Steve Carlton. He tied his single-game career high with three RBIs on May 10 against Chicago.
He was hitting .197 through May 13, his 27th game, before raising his average over .200 for good the following day. Rafael had a six-game hitting streak, June 12-18, going 11-for-22 to raise his batting average from .213 to .249. Included in that span was a 4-for-5 game at Boston (including a three-run homer off Bob Stanley) with four RBIs, Rafael's first career four-RBI game and his second career four-hit game. Two days later he went 3-for-4 against Boston.
Rafael put together a seven-game hitting streak, July 4-14, his longest of the year, going 8-for-24 (.333). He had three RBIs on July 27 against Milwaukee, hitting a three-run homer off Odell Jones. He started 54 consecutive games from May 21 to July 22 and started 33 straight games from July 24 through August 27.
All in all, Santana made 147 starts at shortstop, his 148 games played ranking third on the Yankees. His total of 148 games at short was the fourth highest by a Yankee shortstop since 1952 (Bucky Dent, 157 in 1977; Bobby Meacham, 155 in 1985; Jim Mason, 152 in 1974). He batted .263 on the road and .217 at home and had 24 multiple-hit games, including six three-hit games along with his four-hit game. Rafael had two game-winning RBIs, on May 23 at California and on September 26 at Baltimore (when his two-out single in the eighth inning drove in the tying and winning runs in the Yanks' 5-4 decision.
Rafael had a fielding percentage of .996 (10th among American League shortstops), committing 22 errors in 645 total chances, and led the Yankees with 421 assists. He committed three errors on August 27 at California but went 22 games, September 3-27, without committing an error.
Rafael has a two-year contract through 1989 season.
He was the Mets' starting shortstop from 1985 through 1987, and in '87 played 139 games while hitting .255 (112-for-439) with 41 runs scored, 21 doubles, five home runs and 44 RBIs. His home run, RBI and runs scored totals all represent career highs. His 44 RBIs fell five shy of the Mets club record for RBIs by a shortstop in a season (49 by Ed Bressoud in 1966) and his five home runs were two more than he hit in his first four major league seasons combined.
Rafael started the year 0-for-16 before getting a hit in his 17th at-bat, a single against Charlie Puleo of Atlanta on April 12. In an eight-game period from April 12-21, he went 10-for-29 (.345) to go from .000 to .238. He hit a three-run homer on April 21 off Pittsburgh's Bob Kipper, the first three-RBI game of his career. Rafael also had three RBIs at Chicago on June 10.
From June 25 to July 10 Rafael hit at a .392 pace to raise his batting average from .259 to .290 on July 10, his best mark of the year. He helped spark a doubleheader sweep in Atlanta on July 7 as he came through with the game-winning RBI in both contests. From June 25-August 23 he hit .301 in 49 games, including hitting safely in the final seven games in that span (August 15-23), his longest hitting streak of the year. In his final 34 games from August 24 through the end of the season, however, Rafael hit only .179 to finish with his final .255 batting average.
He had 28 multi-hit games in '87, including four three-hit games, and was 0-for-1 in his one pinch-hitting appearance on July 31 at Montreal. He played 138 games at shortstop and had a fielding percentage of .973, committing 17 errors in 626 total chances.
Santana was acquired by the Yankees with minor league pitcher Victor Garcia from the New York Mets on December 11, 1987 (the final day of the Dallas winter meetings) in exchange for catcher Phil Lombardi, outfielder Darren Reed and pitcher Steve Frey. It was the first ever trade involving major league players between the two New York teams. Santana originally began his professional career in the Yankee organization.
Santana was signed by scout Epy Guerrero of the Yankees as a free agent on August 31, 1976, and in 1977 hit .261 at Oneonta of the Class A New York-Penn League in his pro debut year. In 1978, while playing for Ft. Lauderdale, he was the shortstop on the Florida State League's All-Star team and participated in two triple plays. Santana was named to the Florida State League All-Star team for the second straight year in 1979.
He split the 1980 season between Ft. Lauderdale and Nashville of the Class AA Southern League. Rafael was on the Yankees' 40-man roster when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later in February 1981; the Cards sent pitcher George Frazier to the Yanks to complete the deal on June 7.
With Arkansas in 1981, Rafael led Texas League shortstops in fielding average (.955) and tied for the lead in double plays. In his first full season of AAA ball in 1982, he appeared in 41 games at second base, 73 games at third and 17 at shortstop for the Louisville Redbirds and stole 16 bases, the second-highest total on the team.
Rafael batted .214 in 30 games with the Cardinals in 1983 in his first major league experience, and also batted .281 in 77 games with Louisville. He was released by the Cardinals in January of 1984 and signed by Tidewater [Mets' AAA International League affiliate] later that month.
He hit .278 at Tidewater in 77 games and played every position in the infield (two games at first, six at second, 65 at shortstop and nine at third). Santana was purchased by the Mets from Tidewater on July 9, joined the Mets in Atlanta on July 12 and was utilized as a reserve in his first week with New York. On July 19 Ron Gardenhire injured his hamstring at Cincinnati and Santana took over for him the next day.
He did not relinquish his job until he was placed on the disabled list on August 25 with a lacerated right thumb. Rafael had his only National League four-hit game on August 11 against Pittsburgh at Shea Stadium. He sustained the injury to his thumb in the second game of a twinight doubleheader against the Giants at Shea on August 24 while sliding into second base trying to steal, colliding with Giants' shortstop Fran Mullins. He was placed on the disabled list on August 25 and activated on September 9. Rafael hit his first major league home run off Jerry Koosman of the Phillies on September 26 at Shea.
Rafael appeared in 153 games at shortstop in 1985, the most for a Met since Frank Taveras played 153 in 1979. He hit his only homer of the season, a two-run shot, in Pittsburgh off Cecilio Guante. He had two eight-game hitting streaks, and in the second of those, from June 9-16, hit .464 (13-for-28) to boost his average from .214 to .251. In a 66-game period from June 21 to September 6, Rafael hit .280 to raise his average from .241 to .262. He led National League shortstops in putouts with 301.
He had two three-hit games during the 1986 season and struck out only 6.60 times per 100 plate appearances with men on base, the eighth best mark in the National League. On May 13 of that year, he played second base for the first time as a Met; he had played nine games at second for the Cardinals in 1983. Rafael steadily increased his average over the final two months of the season. He was hitting only .176 at the end of July but batted .280 in his final 33 games to raise his average to his final .218 mark. He posted a career-high nine-game hitting streak from August 24 to September 2, batting .424 (14-for-33) in that span with five two-hit games. Rafael hit his only home run of the year on August 26 at San Diego off Dave Dravecky.
He started each of the Mets' 13 postseason games, batting .176 (3-for-17) in the League Championship against the Astros and .250 (5-for-20) in the World Series. Against Houston, he established an NLCS record for most putouts (13), assists (18) and chances accepted (31) by a shortstop in a six-game series.
Rafael hit safely in four of the seven World Series games. He had a pair of hits off Roger Clemens in Game 2 of the World Series at Shea Stadium. His RBI single in the seventh inning of Game 7 off Calvin Schiraldi knocked in the second run of the three-run rally that put the Mets ahead to stay in their eventual 8-5 win.
Rafael was born and grew up in La Romana in the Dominican Republic. He was voted the 1988 winner of the Good Guy Award by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America."
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
Established National League for fewest assists by a shortstop, season, 150 or more games (396) in 1985.
Led National League shortstops in putouts (301) in 1985.
Led Texas League shortstops in fielding percentage (.985) and tied for lead in double plays (79) in 1981.
Led Florida State League shortstops in errors (48) in 1978.
Led New York-Penn League shortstops in errors (27) in 1977.
Led New York-Penn League in sacrifice hits (7) in 1977.
-1989 New York Yankees Information Guide
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