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Hector Santiago (baseball)

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For other people, see Hector Santiago.

Hector Santiago
Santiago with the Los Angeles Angels
Acereros de Monclova – No. 62
Pitcher
Born: (1987-12-16) December 16, 1987 (age 36)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Left
MLB debut
July 6, 2011, for the Chicago White Sox
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Win–loss record48–51
Earned run average4.12
Strikeouts856
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Puerto Rico
World Baseball Classic
Silver medal – second place 2017 Los Angeles Team

Hector Felipe Santiago (born December 16, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox from 2011 to 2013 and in 2018 and 2019, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim from 2014 to 2016, Minnesota Twins from 2016 to 2017, New York Mets in 2019, and Seattle Mariners in 2021. He plays for the Puerto Rico national baseball team.

He played one year of college baseball at Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Florida. He was an All Star in 2015.

Amateur career

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Santiago graduated in 2006 from Bloomfield Tech High School in Essex County, New Jersey. He played one year at Okaloosa-Walton Community College (now Northwest Florida State College).[1] He is of Puerto Rican descent.

Professional career

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Draft and minor leagues

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Santiago with the Chicago White Sox in 2012

The Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) drafted Santiago in the 30th round of the 2006 MLB Draft, and he signed with the team on May 30, 2007.[2] He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Bristol White Sox of the Appalachian League that summer, going 1–1 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 relief appearances.[3][4] While playing for Bristol, Santiago also befriended Nate Jones, and the pair rose through the White Sox's farm system at the same pace.[5]

In 2008, he played for the Single-A Kannapolis Intimidators, recording a 5-1 record and 4.06 ERA in 38 games. For the 2009 season, Santiago played for the High-A Winston-Salem Dash, pitching to a 4-4 record and 3.88 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 58.0 innings of work. He returned to Winston-Salem the following year, registering a 4-5 record and 4.15 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched.[6]

First stint with the Chicago White Sox (2011–2013)

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Santiago, who split time with Winston-Salem and the Double-A Birmingham Barons in the first half of 2011, was called up to the majors for the first time on June 26, 2011.[7]

Santiago made his MLB debut on July 6, 2011, pitching a perfect ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals. He struck out Eric Hosmer for his first Major League strikeout. On April 7, 2012, Santiago earned his first career save by striking out Elvis Andrus to seal a 4–3 victory for the White Sox. On May 8, Santiago earned his first career win during a 5–3 victory over the Cleveland Indians, pitching one inning yielding two hits and striking out one. He remained the majority of the season in the bullpen while also starting on four occasions. He finished 4-1 in 42 games with 4 saves.

In 2013, Santiago split between the White Sox bullpen and the rotation, finishing with 23 starts while also appearing 11 times out of the bullpen. Although his ERA for the season was 3.56, his record was just 4-9 for the White Sox.

Los Angeles Angels (2014–2016)

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Santiago was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on December 10, 2013, in a three-team trade involving the Chicago White Sox, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels received Tyler Skaggs along with Santiago, while the White Sox received Adam Eaton and the Diamondbacks received Mark Trumbo and two players to be named later.[8][9] In his first season in Anaheim, Santiago was fairly inconsistent, he averaged less than 6 innings per start and for a moment was sent to the bullpen, where he made 6 appearances while also starting 24 times for the Angels. In 127.1 innings, Santiago went 6-9 with a 3.75 ERA.

Santiago enjoyed his best season in 2015, setting career highs in wins, innings, strikeouts, and in WHIP. He had the lowest ground ball percentage among major league pitchers (29.9%), and the highest fly ball percentage (53.6%).[10][11]

Santiago began the 2016 season in the Angels rotation. From April to June, Santiago recorded a record of 4-4 with an ERA of 5.27. However, in the month of July, Santiago went on a roll for the Angels, allowing just 8 runs in 35.1 innings while posting a 6-0 record. His 2016 stats with Anaheim ended in 22 starts while going 10-4. He did however raise his walk total, issuing 57 walks in 120.2 innings.

Minnesota Twins (2016–2017)

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On August 1, 2016, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim traded Santiago along with Alan Busenitz to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Ricky Nolasco, Alex Meyer, and cash.[12][13] For the Twins in 2016, he was 3-6 with a 5.58 ERA.[14] Pitching for the two teams, he had the lowest line drive percentage allowed (15.9%) of all major league pitchers, the highest fly ball percentage allowed (50.0%), and gave up the highest percentage of hard-hit balls (37.3%).[15][16][17]

He spent much of the 2017 season on the disabled list,[18] and finished with a 4-8 record and a 5.63 ERA. He elected free agency on November 2, 2017.

Second stint with the Chicago White Sox (2018)

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On February 14, 2018, Santiago signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox.[19] Santiago's contract was purchased by the White Sox on March 28, and he was assigned to the Opening Day roster.[20] Santiago spent the majority of the season in the White Sox bullpen, logging a 4.41 ERA in 102.0 innings pitched across 49 appearances.

New York Mets (2019)

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On January 5, 2019, Santiago signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets. He was assigned to the Triple-A Syracuse Mets to begin the season. Santiago was promoted to the major league club on May 20, following an injury to Seth Lugo.[21] Santiago was designated for assignment on June 15 after struggling to a 6.75 ERA in 8 appearances.[22] He elected free agency on June 18.

Third stint with the Chicago White Sox (2019)

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As a minor league free agent, Santiago signed a contract with the White Sox on June 21, 2019.[23] He played seven games for Charlotte, going 1–4 with a 5.84 ERA in the process,[3] before he was called up to Chicago on August 6, replacing an injured Manny Bañuelos.[23] On September 24, Santiago struck out eight batters, the most by a White Sox reliever since Brandon McCarthy in 2005.[24] Those strikeouts amounted to little, however, as the Cleveland Indians shut out Chicago 11–0, with Santiago allowing seven runs over four innings.[25] In 11 major league games for the White Sox, Santiago went 0–1 with a 6.66 ERA, striking out 34 batters in 25+2⁄3 innings.[26]

Detroit Tigers organization (2020)

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Prior to the 2020 MLB season, Santiago sent out a resume and cover letter to all 30 major league teams, in which he said that he would pitch in whatever position they needed, ending with a note that, "I’ll be the yes man for whoever needs me to be. My career has literally been just like this— ha-ha."[27] This caught the attention of the Detroit Tigers, who signed Santiago to a minor-league contract on January 22, 2020.[27][28] The contract included an invitation to spring training, which placed him in competition with fellow left-handed relievers Tyler Alexander, Nick Ramirez, and Gregory Soto for a place in the Detroit bullpen.[29] The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on both major and minor league baseball extended the Tigers' bullpen battle into July, and a number of extra relievers attended Comerica Park for the final round of roster cuts that July.[30] Santiago was released from the organization on July 21, before playing a regular season game for the Tigers.[31]

Seattle Mariners (2021)

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Santiago's resume approach did not garner any more team offers for the remainder of the 2020 season, or in time for 2021 spring training, and he spent the winter playing for Puerto Rico in the 2021 Caribbean Series. On April 30, the Seattle Mariners called Santiago and asked if he could make a start for their Triple-A team, the Tacoma Rainiers, on May 8. He pitched four no-hit innings, striking out seven batters and walking two.[32] On May 27, the Mariners selected his contract and promoted Santiago to the majors, where he was meant to bolster a bullpen that had been depleted by injury and COVID-19.[33]

On June 27, Santiago became the first MLB player ejected from a game as part of new policies banning the controversial "sticky stuff" that pitchers used to enhance their grip. Both Santiago and Mariners manager Scott Servais argued that the substance found on Santiago's glove was a mixture of sweat and rosin, the latter of which was allowed.[34] Santiago appealed the 10-game suspension, which was ultimately upheld, and he was suspended from July 15 to July 27.[35] Only two days after returning from that suspension, Santiago was suspended for an additional 80 games without pay following a positive test for exogenous testosterone, considered by MLB to be a performance-enhancing drug. He told reporters that his doctor in Puerto Rico had suggested that he undergo hormonal replacement therapy for an undisclosed medical condition, but he did not contest the suspension.[36] Santiago made 13 major league appearances in 2021, posting a 1-1 record and a 3.42 ERA while striking out 30 batters in 26+1⁄3 innings.[26]

Acereros de Monclova (2023–present)

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On November 30, 2022, Santiago signed with the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League for the 2023 season.[37] In 9 starts 44.2 innings he went 3-1 with a 4.84 ERA with 41 strikeouts. He was placed on the reserve list on June 10.

Santiago re-signed with Monclova for the 2024 season. He did not appear and spent the entire season on the reserve list.

International career

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Santiago played for the Puerto Rican national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic where he won a silver medal.[38]

Pitching style

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Santiago throws a wide variety of pitches, although by far his most common is a four-seam fastball in the range of 90–96 mph. His off-speed pitches include a curveball, a slider, a changeup and an occasional cutter.[39] He is also one of the few pitchers in recent years to throw a screwball.[40] Lefties tend to only see fastballs and curveballs, while right-handers see mostly fastballs, changeups, and screwballs.[39]

According to Santiago, "I'm ... mostly on the inner half to right-handers and away to lefties. I try to get it down and in to righties and down and away to lefties, and let them basically get themselves out. How my ball moves is a big part of how I pitch."[41]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Behre, Bob. "Bloomfield Tech's Santiago called up by White Sox", The Star-Ledger, June 28, 2011. Accessed July 31, 2013. "Left-handed pitcher Hector Santiago, a 2006 Bloomfield Tech grad, was summoned by the Chicago White Sox from the Double-A Birmingham Barons yesterday to report today (Tuesday) to the big club."
  2. ^ Gonzales, Mark (May 30, 2007). "Pierzynski worries image will cost him". Chicago Tribune. pp. 4–5. Retrieved October 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Hector Santiago Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  4. ^ "Former Bristol White Sox hurler Hector Santiago and ex-Bristol Pirates pitcher Max Kranick made different kinds of MLB history on Sunday". Bristol Herald Courier. June 29, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  5. ^ Fegan, James (March 21, 2018). "'What's up best friend!' Nate Jones and Hector Santiago are reunited and it feels so good". The Athletic. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "Hector Santiago Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics & History".
  7. ^ Van Dyck, Dave (June 26, 2011). "Sox put Danks on DL, call up Double-A lefty Santiago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  8. ^ "Mark Trumbo traded to Diamondbacks in three-team deal". CBSSports.com. December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  9. ^ "Mark Trumbo goes to Arizona Diamondbacks in three-way trade with Angels, White Sox | MLB.com". Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  10. ^ Major League Leaderboards » 2015 » Pitchers » Dashboard | FanGraphs Baseball
  11. ^ Major League Leaderboards » 2015 » Pitchers » Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  12. ^ Miller, Phil (August 1, 2016). "Twins trade Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer to Angels for Hector Santiago". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  13. ^ Campbell, Dave (August 1, 2016). "Twins send Nolasco, Meyer to Angels in swap for Santiago". US News. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  14. ^ Hector Santiago Stats | Baseball-Reference.com
  15. ^ Major League Leaderboards » 2015 » Pitchers » Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  16. ^ Major League Leaderboards » 2016 » Pitchers » Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  17. ^ Major League Leaderboards » 2016 » Pitchers » Batted Ball Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball
  18. ^ Chase, Benjamin (September 2017). "Minnesota Twins May Not See Hector Santiago Again". Fansided. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  19. ^ Todd, Jeff (February 14, 2018). "White Sox Sign Hector Santiago". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  20. ^ "White Sox's Hector Santiago: Contract purchased by White Sox". CBSSports.com. March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "Transactions". MLB.com.
  22. ^ "Mets Designate Hector Santiago". June 14, 2019.
  23. ^ a b "White Sox call up Santiago, reinstate Castillo". MLB.com. Advanced Media Group. August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  24. ^ "Héctor Santiago Stats, Fantasy and News". MLB.com. Advanced Media Group. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  25. ^ "Ramírez hits slam, 3-run shot in return, Indians rout ChiSox". ESPN. Associated Press. September 24, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  26. ^ a b "Hector Santiago Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  27. ^ a b McCosky, Chris (February 12, 2020). "Starter, reliever, pitch BP and clean spikes? Tigers' Hector Santiago is up for it". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  28. ^ McCosky, Chris (January 22, 2020). "Tigers bringing former White Sox lefty Hector Santiago to big-league camp". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  29. ^ Woodbery, Evan (January 22, 2020). "Tigers sign veteran lefty to compete for bullpen role". MLive.com. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  30. ^ Fenech, Anthony (July 12, 2020). "Detroit Tigers' bullpen race: A look at who has a spot locked down, and who still fighting". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  31. ^ Petzold, Evan (July 21, 2020). "Detroit Tigers prospect Tarik Skubal joins player pool; Hector Santiago released". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  32. ^ Divish, Ryan (May 27, 2021). "Hector Santiago sent out a resume to 30 MLB teams in 2020. Finally, the Mariners gave him a cal". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  33. ^ Kramer, Daniel (May 27, 2021). "Southpaw wanted gig, filled out résumé". MLB.com. Advanced Media Group. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  34. ^ Condotta, Bob (June 27, 2021). "Mariners win first game in Chicago as Hector Santiago is ejected for violating illegal substance rule". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  35. ^ Kramer, Daniel (July 15, 2021). "Santiago's suspension upheld after appeal". MLB.com. Advanced Media Group. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  36. ^ Divish, Ryan (July 29, 2021). "Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago receives 80-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  37. ^ "ACEREROS SUMA A HÉCTOR SANTIAGO A SU STAFF DE PITCHEO". acereros.com.mx (in Spanish). November 30, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  38. ^ Thornburg, Chad (February 8, 2017). "Young stars join Beltran, Yadi for Puerto Rico". MLB.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  39. ^ a b "Brooks Baseball · Home of the PitchFX Tool - Player Card: Hector Santiago". Brooks Baseball. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  40. ^ Schoenfeld, Bruce (July 10, 2014). "The Mystery of the Vanishing Screwball". The New York Times. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  41. ^ Laurila, David (November 16, 2012). "Q&A: Hector Santiago, Screwball Artist". Fangraphs. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
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