Entering his second season in Minnesota, Ervin Santana has some serious expectations to live up to, and it’s not because he’s the first Twins pitcher to sport the name Santana on the back of his jersey since some guy named Johan.Santana’s first season with the Twins was an oddity, even beyond the 80-game suspension that struck before it started.

 

When he returned to the team in July, the right-hander came out firing on all cylinders. In his first four starts, he pitched into the eighth inning three times, posting a 2.60 ERA and holding opponents to a .196 average.

 

Then, the bottom fell out. Santana fell into a slump of epic proportions over his next six starts, allowing 31 earned runs on 47 hits over 30 innings with more walks (15) than strikeouts (14). Even for a traditionally streaky pitcher like him, this dauntingly bad stretch of performance was tough to figure.

 

Whatever the issue, though, he bounced back and finished brilliantly, with a 1.62 ERA over his final seven turns.

 

Ultimately, through all of those dramatic ups and downs, Santana’s numbers at the end of the season were about what you’d expect based on his track record. But the stretches of dominance were tantalizing, and exactly what the Twins had zeroed in on when they signed him to the largest contract in franchise history back in December of 2014.

 

Paul Molitor has not yet announced his Opening Day starter – he said he expects to do so after Monday’s game – but all signs point to Santana getting the nod. If he continues to pitch every fifth day between now and the start of the regular season, he’ll be on the hill for Minnesota’s April 4th tilt against the Orioles in Baltimore.

 

It would be a first for the 33-year-old in a big-league career that launched back in 2005, but for his part, he downplays the significance.

 

“It would be good, one more game in the big leagues,” he said with a shrug after his outing against the Yankees on Sunday.

 

That start – while underwhelming on paper (5 IP, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) – served as a reminder of the promise that Santana offers. He attacked hitters. He induced weak contact and feeble grounders. He routinely worked at 92 and 93 MPH, even dialing it up to 96 and 97 on the radar while working off the frustration-driven adrenaline induced by a run-scoring balk.

 

That kind of velocity has been missing in Minnesota’s starting corps for quite some time. His average fastball speed of 92.5 MPH in 2015 was the highest of any Twins starter in the last five years save for Mike Pelfrey, who had nothing BUT a fastball (a rather straight and hittable one at that).

 

Santana faced 21 hitters on Sunday and allowed only two hits, both singles. And that speaks to a strength that should appeal greatly to fans of a Twins team that has allowed the most hits in the American League four years in a row. In seasons where Santana has been healthy enough to make 30-plus starts (and that’s all but two since his rookie campaign in ’05), he has never allowed more than a hit per inning on average.

 

In that regard, he would be a fitting tone-setter for a 2016 season in which the Twins are hoping to reverse some negative trends and take the step forward that their sizable investment in him was intended to aid.

 

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he’s the first Twins pitcher to sport the name Santana on the back of his jersey since some guy named Johan.

 

And, Ironically, Ervin Santana's real first name is Johan... I know it's an old story, but for those that weren't aware, when he was coming up in the minor leagues and Johan was winning Cy Youngs, he wanted to avoid confusion.

I miss Johan.... 

Ervin is a character.  I like that about baseball.  He would be my choice for Opening Day.  When focused, he's something else.

I thought that I had read somewhere that he was already pencilled in as the Opening Day starter. No matter. If he can continue where he left off last season, he's going to be fun to watch.

Santana has been largely consistent in his career, posting solid overall numbers year in and year out, with a couple very good/outstanding seasons mixed in. Hughes, on the other hand, hasn't been so consistent. But he's still under 30 and has good stuff when healthy and a very strong bounce back candidate after a down 2015. (To be fair, there were stretches where he looked like the same guy) Gibson is still getting better.

 

I don't want to hijack this as a "May" thread, but I think it's pertinent to bring him up. I was confused, confounded and kind of ticked off when he was placed in the pen last season. I still don't want him there, even if he helps for now. I still want him back in the rotation. But...and this is a good problem to gave...there us simply no room for him right now. You've also got Duffey and Milone, who is OK underated and LH and a Molitor choice for now. And this doesn't even include Berrios.

 

You want your best arms, hopefully with balance, filling out all 12 slots. Until or unless someone is moved, one if these arms needs to be in the pen. I mean, seriously, if you could move a guy tomorrow, wold it be Santana? Hughes? Gibson? Almost impossible choice and a nice predicament to have.

 

Paul Molitor has not yet announced his Opening Day starter – he said he expects to do so after Monday’s game – but all signs point to Santana getting the nod.

 

 

The only reason to NOT have Santana be the Opening Day starter is if you want him to start the Home Opener.

Well, we don't have a clear #1 or #2 type starter, so it's a coin toss.  Based on the guys who will be in the rotation to start the season, I'd give it to Gibson.