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Expos Top 50 by ExR: No 49, F.P. Santangelo

Montreal Expos Doug Strange (15), left, greets team members F.P. Santangelo (7), Rondell White (22), and Joe Orsulak (19) at the end of their game against the San Francisco Giants Wednesday, May 7, 1997, in San Francisco. The Expos broke a National League record when they scored 13 runs in the sixth inning against the Giants. The Expos defeated the Giants 19-3. (AP Photo/Lacy Atkins)

The Montreal Expos have had some great players wear the uniform over the years, including FP Santangelo, and Expos Reloaded would like to highlight them to all in a new way.

In effort to bridge the gap between older Expos fans and younger generation, Expos Reloaded presents a Top 50 Expos of all time – according to WAR (as noted by Fangraphs) – series. (min 162 GP with Expos, not Nationals)

What will come out of this work should be interesting, giving us a view of how each player measures up according to today’s most popular statistics.

An update on what else these players were famous for, what they’re up to now, and where you can catch them on social media will also be included, as well as someof the better videos and interviews we can round up.

By all means, if you have fond memories and stories you’d like to share about these players, this is the perfect place to do so.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy ready through the series as much as it was fun compiling it!

Next up on our list is a guy who fell in love with broadcasting once his playing time ended…

No.49, OF Frank-Paul (F.P.) Santagelo

Birthdate: 10/24/1966 (51)           Size: 5’10” 165 lbs           Bats/Throws: B/R
Drafted: by the Expos in the 20th rd of the 1989 Draft out of Miami

Follow him on Twitter: @FightinHydrant

F.P. Santangelo Twitter Intro

“There goes the no-hitter” – Felipe Alou. TV broadcaster for the Washington Nationals. Former MLB player, proud father of two”

Montreal Expos Stats: 4 seasons

Standard

1995: 35 GP / 113 PA / 29 H / 5 DB / 1 TR / 1 HR / 1 SB (1 CS)

1996: 152 GP / 467 PA / 109 H / 20 DB / 5 TR / 7 HR /  5 SB (2 CS)

1997: 130 GP / 440 PA / 87 H / 19 DB / 5 TR / 5 HR / 8 SB (5 CS)

1998: 122 GP / 463 PA / 82 H / 18 DB / 0 TR / 4 HR / 7 SB (3 CS)

Advanced

1995: 10.6% BB%, 8.0% SO%, .102 ISO, .318 BAbip, .309 wOBA, 113 wRC+

1996: 10.5% BB%, 13.1% SO%, .130 ISO, .309 BAbip, .345 wOBA, 109 wRC+

1997: 11.4% BB%, 16.6% SO%, .126 ISO, .298 BAbip, .346 wOBA, 106 wRC+

1998: 9.5% BB%, 15.6% SO%, .078 ISO, .318 BAbip, .253 wOBA, 73 wRC+


TOTAL WAR WITH EXPOS

6.9


F.P. Santagelo, ExR Thoughts

The highlight of Santangelo’s playing career had to be finishing 4th in NL rookie of the year voting after the 1996 season. While some of his statistics stood out at the plate among rookies, it was his defensive abilities that got him noticed the most. That season, he played at least five games at five different positions (2B/3B/LF/CF/RF) and only made 10 errors overall. Not bad for a rookie.

What you knew Santangelo was going to give the team was a combination of great at-bats, solid defensive play, and a gritty style of play that coaches loved.

As with the No 50 on our list, Chris Nabholz, Santangelo came out of the gates strong but seemed to fade thereafter. It’s tough to know exactly why that was, but the following may have something to do with it.

Santangelo was named in the  Mitchell Report by Kirk Radomski as having used Deca-DurabolinHGH, and testosterone which he later confirmed, in part. Santangelo admitted to using HGH twice, in 1997 and 2000, to help him rehab from injuries but says that was it. Whether or not that was the case, we know that within that timeframe he dealt with injuries which impacted his playing career significantly.


F.P. Santagelo: Information

Initially drafted: As noted above, by Expos, 514th overall

Selected: Nine picks before the Blue Jays selected 2B Jeff Kent

Wore Number: 7 while with Expos

Played for: Montreal, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland

Highest WAR season: 3.5 WAR in 1996 for Expos

MLB DebutAugust 2, 1995  with Expos vs Florida

Expos Departure: Dec 21, 1998, Granted Free Agency, signed with SF Giants

Most similar: Chuck Diering

Played for a total of: 7 seasons

Last game played: Oct 7, 2001 with OAK vs ANA

Career Earnings$2,062,500

Current Work: Broadcaster for MASN

Photo Credit MASNsports.com/Twitter

F.P. Santagelo: Videos 

Here’s a video that shows a Canada Day game played between the Expos and Blue Jays where Santangelo was interviewed, a sign of things to come in his career.


F.P. Santangelo: Extra Reading and Sources


Montreal Expos Top 50 by ExR List

– Mat Germain, baseball writer for Expos Reloaded and SB Nation’s DRaysBay, with more than 10 years covering the Toronto Blue Jays (Jays Journal) and Tampa Bay Rays. Still serving in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Reservist and Operations Officer for 413 Search and Rescue Squadron in Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Follow Mat on Twitter @MatGermain76.

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