It looked like ex-66er catcher Carlos Santana was going to win the batting title, after all of his close competitors were either promoted and didn’t have enough at-bats to qualify, dropped off the pace, or were injured.

Santana, traded to the Cleveland Indians organization in late July, had enough plate appearances entering the season’s final day and his .323 batting average led Lake Elsinore’s Cedric Hunter. When Hunter didn’t play in the season finale, it looked like Santana would get a late batting title.

But Lancaster outfielder Daniel Nava, who had dropped out of the race in the final week because he missed nearly three weeks with a strained oblique muscle, played in the final three games of the regular season. He finished with 379 plate appearances, one more than he needed. So Nava’s batting average of .341 trumped Santana’s .323 for the title.