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…
.P.)
Birthdate: 10/24/1966 (51) Size: 5’10” 165 lbs Bats/Throws: B/R
Follow him on Twitter: @FightinHydrant
F.P. Santangelo Twitter Intro
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-Durabolin, HGH, 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 Debut –August 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
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
- Fangraphs Stats used above here
- Can view all of his stats including College here.
- On team mate Vladimir Guerrero, Santangelo had this to say, “He was like a wild stallion,” Guerrero’s former teammate F.P. Santangelo, now the colour analyst on MASN’s Washington Nationals telecasts, said Friday. “I mean, sometimes he’d just grab any bat out of the bat rack, look and nod at you if it was yours, and it was: ‘Yep, Vladdy. OK.’ Seriously, man. Any bat. Didn’t matter to him.”
- Apparently, Santangelo was one of the more vocal forces trying to lure Patriots QB to Montreal after he was drafted by the team, stating “We were telling him, ‘Why would you make $800 a month in the minor leagues when you can be the quarterback at the University of Michigan? You’re a good-looking guy, you can probably have a lot of fun off the field, too,’” Santangelo told Sports Illustrated. “We told him: ‘Go play football at Michigan! Are you kidding me?’”
- Was called out by Jose Canseco for behaviour at Playboy Mansion while still with his first wife, and ironically married a playmate after his initial marriage ended.
- If you want to know more about his broadcasting career, this article‘s for you.
- He’s had significant criticism of Nats fans so far, as you can read about here.
Montreal Expos Top 50 by ExR List
- No 50 – LHP, Chris Nabholz
- No 49 – OF/INF F.P. Santangelo
– 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.