Criticizing Jon Daniels’s moves has turned into sport. But you have to give him credit where it’s due.

Danny Santana might be the biggest steal of the offseason. For any team.

He came out of the gate strong. His first year, he finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting. He looked promising, playing center and short for the Twins. 

That was 2014.

By 2017 he lost his job in Minnesota, got traded to Atlanta, and languished on the bench, hitting a combined .202, with a .243 on-base percentage, and an OPS of .600. 

He was Rougned Odor.

It got worse last year. Before the season started, the Braves released him. Then they signed him to a minor league deal, called him up on June 22, and released him on July 19.

He played in just fifteen games, batting just .179.

But Daniels plucked him off the pile, signed him to a minor league contract, and he started the season at Nashville. 

But once he has come up, he has been the most consistent bat in the Rangers lineup. So much so that he went from an occasional starter to an every day guy. 

He’s played first, second, short, left, center, and right. 

He’s batted first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth.

And all he has done is hit and hit and hit and hit.

On the day Joey Gallo is lost potentially for the year, Danny Santana has his best game of his best year. Three hits, including a double and his first grand slam, good for six RBIs. s

With Joey Gallo going down, Danny Santana will be the Rangers MVP for 2019. 

He has done it all, all season, all over the field.

Jon Daniels got this one right. Very right.

*****

TODAY’S GAME:

Lance Lynn (12-6, 3.93) vs. Daniel Mengden (5-1, 4.65)

Game time: 9:07