When Was Carlos Santana Drafted?

Carlos Santana was not drafted. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him as a non-drafted free agent in 2004.

He was a minor leaguer with the Dodgers until July 26, 2008, when he was traded to the Indians.

During the 2013 season, he mostly split his time between catcher and first base, and since then, he’s mostly played first base, designated hitter, and some third base.

Prior to the 2018 season, Santana became a free agent and signed a three-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in December of the following year for a brief stint before being returned to Cleveland.

His professional baseball career began with the Gulf Coast Dodgers, a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 2005, he batted.295, appearing in 32 games. He mostly played third base, but he also played catcher, second base, left field, and right field on occasion.

Santana and pitcher Jon Meloan was traded to the Cleveland Indians on July 26, 2008, in exchange for the third baseman Casey Blake.

Santana played catcher for the Akron Aeros, Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino, and Kinston Indians in a total of 130 games in 2008, the majority of which were at the Class A-Advanced level with San Bernardino and Kinston.

He hit .326, with a .431 on-base percentage (OBP),.568 slugging percentage (SLG), .999 on-base plus slugging (OPS), 125 runs scored, 21 home runs, 117 runs batted in (RBI), 89 bases on balls (BB), and 85 strikeouts on offense.

Santana was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the California League (MVP).

He was also named Hi-A Player of the Year and was named to the Hi-A All-Star squad, the California League All-Star team, and Baseball America’s second All-Star team.