Let’s face it, when a notable person – especially someone from the Dodgers – follows you on Twitter, it makes you a little giddy.

Now granted, just because they follow you doesn’t necessarily mean that they are going to interact with you, but still…

But the simple truth is that although enjoyable and a very valuable source of breaking news and other information, it is unrealistic to expect professional baseball players to interact with all of their followers and fans on social media.

…unless you are Dennis Santana.

Unlike most major leaguers and even many minor leaguers, the 21-year-old San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic native absolutely loves interacting with fans on Twitter (@DennisSantanaRD). It’s not that most baseball players don’t enjoy interacting with fans on social media, it’s that they are usually extremely busy with baseball-related activities, especially minor leaguers who are so desperately trying to make it to The Show. That being said, Santana always seems to find time to reply to those who tweet to and about him, as does his extremely proud father (@BIGDADDYOUU).

Last May, I had the pleasure of meeting Santana during his brief time with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. I say brief because even though the 6′-2″ / 160-pound hard-throwing right-hander began the 2017 season at Rancho, he was promoted to Double-A Tulsa in mid-July, having posted a 5-6 record and impressive 3.57 ERA in his 17 games (14 starts) with the Quakes.

Santana is currently ranked as the Dodgers 12th overall prospect. He is extremely excited that he will be attending his first major league spring training camp in February. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

At Tulsa, Santana made seven starts and finished the 2017 season with a 3-1 record and 5.51 ERA; not off-the-chart numbers, but certainly impressive. The problem is that Santana, who was initially signed by the Dodgers as a shortstop at the ripe old age of 16 (in 2013) and spent his first season playing in the highly-competitive (and heavily scouted) Dominican Summer League in 2014, will begin his fifth season in the Dodgers organization this spring. As such, he was eligible to be snatched up by another team in the recent Rule-5 Draft if he wasn’t added to the Dodgers 40-man roster by the November 20 deadline.

But being the Dodgers’ 12th-ranked prospect definitely has its advantages and Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi wisely added Santana to the team’s 40-man roster to avoid losing him in the Rule-5 Draft, which they undoubtedly would have. As a result, Santana will be at Camelback Ranch bright and early when pitchers and catchers report on February 14, 2018.

Is Santana excited about this?

According to Twitter he is. In fact, he posted a brief statement about it that generated a flood of positive comments, likes and retweets.

Within minutes of receiving word that he had been added to the Dodgers 40-man roster and would be attending major league spring training camp this February, Santana posted this statement on Twitter.
(Image courtesy of @DennisSantanaRD )

What makes Santana’s tweet all the more amazing is that when I met him this past May, he spoke almost no English, having been born and raised in the Dominican Republic. Yet in his desire to better himself both as a baseball player and as a person, he took it upon himself to learn English, all while trying make it to baseball’s highest level. If this doesn’t tell you all that you need to know about this young man’s passion and drive, nothing will.

Now here’s a workout regiment that you don’t see every day.
(Photo credit – @DennisSantanaRD)

As spring training 2018 draws near, it’s hard to imagine that Santana’s interactions with fans on Twitter will not diminish to some degree and this is most certainly understandable. But in the meantime, Dodger fans who enjoy interacting with Dodger players, even minor leaguers, you are truly missing out on a lot of fun and enthusiasm if you do not follow and interact with Dennis Santana on Twitter.