Víctor Santos (baseball)

Víctor Irving Santos (born 2 October 1976 or possibly earlier) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a relief pitcher from 2001 to 2007.

Víctor Santos
Pitcher
Born: (1976-10-02) 2 October 1976
San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 9, 2001, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 2007, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Win–loss record23–48
Earned run average5.21
Strikeouts425
Teams

Early life

Santos was born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. As with many Dominican players, it is unclear whether Santos's official age is accurate. His biography lists that he graduated from Passaic High School in Passaic, New Jersey in 1995,[1] though Santos was a four-year starter on the baseball team at Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1994, he was named Most Valuable Player of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball tournament, where he was the winning pitcher twice in the Peacocks' three-game sweep. Santos is the first former Peacock baseball player to reach the majors.

Professional career

Santos signed with the Detroit Tigers as a non-drafted free agent in 1995. Although he allowed some unearned runs, Santos posted a 0.00 ERA over his first 27.1 innings in the majors, the longest such streak to start a career since Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1980–81 (34 innings). For his effort, he was named Detroit rookie of the year by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Santos was traded to the Colorado Rockies for José Paniagua in 2002 and acquired by the Texas Rangers before the 2003 season. Then he signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers before being called up for the 2004 season, where he earned his way onto the starting rotation. After two years with Milwaukee, he made an unusual route via the Kansas City Royals and the Rule 5 draft onto the major-league roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the 2006 season.

The Pirates granted him free agency on October 6, 2006, immediately after the 2006 season ended. On January 8, 2007 he signed a minor league deal with the Reds. On September 7, 2007 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations.

Santos elected free agency on October 12, 2007. On January 11, 2008, Santos signed with the San Francisco Giants to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He became a free agent at the end of the season. After splitting the 2009 season between the independent Newark Bears and the Vaqueros Laguna, he played with the Vaqueros again in 2010, appearing in 10 games with a 3-4 record.

Personal life

Santos has been a resident of Woodland Park, New Jersey.[2]

References
  1. Santos makes most of opportunity: Non-roster invitee enjoying breakthrough season Archived 2004-08-14 at the Wayback Machine, MLB.com, August 4, 2004. "One the pitches Santos offers, his fastball, was nowhere to be seen when he graduated from Passaic High School in New Jersey in 1991.
  2. Idec, Keith. "Back to basics - Ex-big leaguer Santos trying to keep his time in minors short", Herald News, May 26, 2008. Accessed November 12, 2013. "'Basically I've been going out there, giving this team a chance to win and showing them that I'm still solid, so they can give me a call up to the big leagues,' said Santos, who owns a home in West Paterson."
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