Minnesota Twins Slugger Voted More Famous and Popular than Aaron Judge, Rest of MLB

By Ted Schwerzler |

Updated: Jun 10, 2024

Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins — Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

It’s often hard to contend with the reality that the Minnesota Twins play in flyover territory. It wasn’t until Royce Lewis started hitting grand slams at a breakneck pace that those in New York had even heard of the midwestern state. But now that Carlos Santana plays on the team, is that really true?

This offseason the Minnesota Twins signed Carlos Santana to a deal worth just over $5 million. It was something of a scrap heap find that was necessitated by the front office’s unwillingness to spend money, and so far the results have been mixed.

Minnesota Twins Carlos Santana > New York Yankees Aaron Judge?

In a recent poll run by YouGov, Carlos Santana was voted as both the most famous and most popular baseball player across the sport, way ahead of Yankees superstar, Aaron Judge.

Face of baseball: Carlos Santana pic.twitter.com/xsCoMjgHpg
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) June 10, 2024

Fame was defined as “the percentage of people who have heard of a contemporary baseball player,” while popularity was defined as the “the percentage of people who have a positive opinion of a contemporary baseball player.”

Rocco Baldelli was handed Carlos Santana as an option to supplement Alex Kirilloff, Jose Miranda, and others at the first base and designated hitter spots in his lineup. The longtime veteran had tormented the Twins as a member of the Cleveland Guardians, but the hope was that his home run barrage would continue while calling Target Field his home.

Clearing the 70% threshold for fame, and 40% threshold for popularity, it’s the Twins slugger that checks in as tops across the board. How is that possible?

What they don’t know about Carlos Santana

In reality, the above poll results are voters mistaking Carlos Santana, the baseball player, for Carlos Santana, the famous guitarist and head man of the rock band ‘Santana’. A simple google search will always pull up the latter, and it is Carlos Humberto Santana Barragan that will remain most prominent across the world.

The famous musician has been active since 1965 and has played with acts spanning from Shakira, Willie Nelson, Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, and many others. Signed by Columbia Records back in the late 1960’s, it was a Woodstock appearance that sent the band to international prominence.

Having underwent heart surgery in 2021, and postponing concerts in 2022, it remains unclear as to whether or not Santana has attended baseball games or is a fan at all. If the Minnesota Twins are going to cash in on Carlos Santana, advertising his musical prowess might be a better idea than advertising his hitting capabilities recently, anyway…