Johan Santana

Minnesota brought Johan Santana out of the bullpen for the first four years of his career, but his entry into the starting rotation in 2004 was a revelation. Santana went 20-2 with a 2.69 ERA and 265 strikeouts. While Boston’s Curt Schilling won 21 games to deny Santana the “Triple Crown of Pitching,” he couldn’t keep the Twins ace from landing the Cy Young award as the American League’s best pitcher. Minnesota rewarded Santana with a long-term contract, and he proved 2004 was no fluke with a 16-7 mark for an underachieving Minnesota squad in 2005. The future looks bright for the Venezuelan hurler — I wonder if Florida regrets trading him for Jared Camp…