Carlos Santana might be in a new uniform, but the slugging infielder is mired in his usual spring funk. The Philadelphia Phillies' first baseman is a career .232 hitter in March and April, and so far, 2018 looks even worse, with Santana struggling to a .154 batting average over 63 plate appearances.
But even Santana's normally futile early months have been underwritten by a career .245 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), whereas the current young season finds the Philly slugger's BABIP percolating at an absurdly low .136. His other skill metrics clearly indicate that even if Santana is taking his usual time to warm up, he's getting bitten by some bad luck as he owns a 41.3% hard-contact rate while maintaining a smooth 12.7% walk rate.
The switch-hitting Santana has favorable power splits against righties (career .804 and .213 isolated slugging), and with the very hittable Anibal Sanchez, Mike Foltynewicz, and Ivan Nova on deck for the Phillies this week, Santana makes for a strong daily play while his price hovers in the mid-$3,000s.