Santana accomplishes longtime goal with 1st Gold Glove Award

There isn’t always anything flashy about being a good, reliable first baseman.

It’s the least glamorous defensive position on the diamond, the place where, traditionally, a good hitter with nowhere else to go often ends up, simply because he has to stand somewhere. At its best, a well-played first base isn’t necessarily a highlight-reel spot; the vast majority of the job description simply revolves around making your teammates better (or not making them worse).

Carlos Santana certainly checked that box.

“He’s making everybody on our infield better every single day, with the way he picks every single throw that we throw in the dirt,” shortstop Carlos Correa said during the season. “I think when you seriously consider his numbers, there’s nobody better in the American League, numbers-wise.”

But Santana’s season at first base went far beyond that -- and in doing so, he truly accomplished the rarity of turning his position into a source of sparkling plays alongside his relentless consistency on the routine ones, establishing the rare first-base résumé and highlight reel that made his teammates and coaches murmur and marvel, day after day.

Both by the numbers and by the eye test, Santana’s 2024 season clearly looked to be a Gold Glove effort as it unfolded -- and that indeed came to fruition on Sunday, when the 38-year-old finally accomplished his longtime goal of earning that first Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

“There's a couple of team priorities,” Santana said during the season. “But this is one where I want that this year. That's why -- you know, I try to push every day, work hard every day, and see what's going on. I try to do what's best for me, but if not, I'm happy for that and say thanks to God for that.”

Though Santana became a free agent following the conclusion of the World Series, he accomplished far more than the Twins could have imagined on a one-year deal to stabilize first base, not only leading the team in homers but also bringing Minnesota its first Gold Glove Award since 2017, when both Byron Buxton (center field) and Brian Dozier (second base) won.

Santana joins Doug Mientkiewicz (2001) and Vic Power (1962, ‘63) as the only Twins first basemen to win a Gold Glove.

Willi Castro was also a Gold Glove finalist at the relatively new utility position designation, but he fell short in his bid for the first career distinction of his own, with Dylan Moore of the Mariners taking home the honors.

Aged 38 years and 174 days on the final day of the regular season, Santana became the oldest position player to win a first career Gold Glove Award and the third-oldest player overall to do so, behind a pair of pitchers: Phil Niekro in 1978 and R.A. Dickey in 2013.

“This is a guy who I’ve known since he was about 21 or 22 years old,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said during the season. “If you would have told me back then he’s playing at 38, 39, closing in at 40, that would have been surprising to me. I would have underestimated that. He’s been fantastic.”

As Edouard Julien continued his growing pains as a second baseman and Royce Lewis had a rocky season at third base, Santana was the stabilizing constant at first with his scooping ability. He essentially never made a bad decision, using his instincts honed from a decade at the position, and his flips to moving pitchers covering first base were perfect, time after time.

Santana’s four errors were the second fewest among qualified AL first basemen, behind only the three from Baltimore’s Ryan Mountcastle, who played nearly 300 fewer innings at the position. Under the hood, Santana led his position with 14 outs above average and tied Mountcastle for the lead with eight defensive runs saved.

In fact, Santana’s outs above average total was tied for 13th among qualified MLB defenders, highest among any player who wasn’t a middle infielder or a center fielder.

Much of that can be attributed to the exemplary physical condition in which Santana keeps his body, due to which he has emerged as one of the game’s bastions of consistency and availability throughout his 15-season MLB career, often remarking that he still feels much younger than his age.

Clearly, that shows in his defensive game -- and he finally got his reward.