After signing for $75,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2020, Santa pitched just 23 innings in his first three years as a pro because of the pandemic and elbow inflammation in 2022, though he did hit triple digits with his fastball that August. Then he logged a 6.06 ERA in his first two years in full-season leagues before finally breaking out in 2025. He dominated Double-A hitters to earn a trip to the Futures Game and a promotion to Triple-A, though his control fell apart after he moved up.
Santa can still light up radar guns with his heater, operating in the mid 90s and reaching 98 mph, though his four-seamer is fairly straight and his two-seamer isn't especially lively. His tight 83-85 mph slider can wipe out righties and his upper-70s curveball can lock up lefties, though he has difficulty landing the latter in the zone. His upper-80s changeup has its moments as well, while his cutter with similar velocity is his worst offering.
Though he's just 5-foot-10, Santa is strong and creates decent extension in a delivery that features an extremely low release height. He has never demonstrated much control, so his 10 percent walk rate in Double-A to start last season was encouraging, but it rose to 28 percent during his brief time in Triple-A. He can flash five viable pitches but doesn't need that many as a reliever and would be better off focusing on his fastball and spin options.
The final player signed by the Astros in their 2019-20 international class, Santa turned pro for $75,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He worked just 23 innings in his first three years as a pro because of the pandemic shutdown in 2020 and elbow inflammation in 2022, but he opened eyes by pushing his fastball to 100 mph when he pitched briefly in August 2022. His power stands out more than his finesse, so he has spent most of the last two seasons in the bullpen.
Santa's lightning-fast arm generates fastballs that reach triple digits with riding action, and he'll work in the mid-90s and touch 98 mph even when he dials his velocity back to throw more strikes. His tight mid-80s slider gives him a solid second pitch, while his upper-70s curveball offers more depth but is harder for him to control. He hasn't had much success with a mid-80s changeup that sinks and fades, though he's showing improved feel for his cambio as he uses it more often in 2025.
Santa carried a 15 percent walk rate through his first four pro seasons while demonstrating well-below-average control and command. He continually fell behind in counts and got hit hard when he didn't locate his power stuff well. He has provided consistent strikes at the start of this season, though he still profiles as more of a reliever than a starter.
Santa's fastball sat at 88-91 mph when he signed out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020. The pandemic shutdown that year and elbow inflammation in April 2022 limited him to just 23 innings in his first three years as a pro, but his heater touched 100 mph after he briefly returned to the mound in August 2022. His velocity continued to impress last season, when he struck out 119 in 87 1/3 innings in Single-A but also posted a 5.98 ERA with 74 walks.
While Santana lacks physicality, he has a lightning-quick arm that unleashes riding fastballs that sit at 94-96 mph and repeatedly touch 97-98 even when he's throttling down to try to find the strike zone. He also struggles to land his breaking pitches, but they're intriguing. He has a tight slider that reaches the upper 80s, a sweepier mid-80s version and an upper-70s curveball with more depth.
Santa has shown little feel for a mid-80s changeup that he barely uses. Though his delivery is relatively clean, his control and command are presently well below average, so he continually falls behinds in counts and his power stuff gets hit harder than it should. He's a development project with a lot of reliever risk, but also some interesting upside.
Signed for $75,000 out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020, Santa pitched just 23 innings in his first three seasons because of the pandemic shutdown and then elbow inflammation in April 2022. He briefly returned to the mound in August last year and clocked a fastball at 100 mph in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. He has stayed healthy this summer and continued to light up radar guns in Single-A.
Santa's fastball parked at 88-91 mph when he turned pro and has picked up velocity as he has added strength, now sitting at 94-96 mph and regularly reaching 97-98 with riding action. Though his breaking pitches lack consistency, they're all intriguing. He has a harder, tighter slider that climbs into the upper 80s, a sweepier version in the mid-80s and an upper-70s curveball with good depth.
Santa needs to add significant polish, however. He struggles against left-handers because he only features a rudimentary changeup, while his control and command are both currently well-below-average. He has a relatively clean delivery that should lead to more strikes and strong legs that should enable him to handle a starter's workload despite his 5-foot-10 build.
Santa signed for $75,000 out of the Dominican Republic in February 2020 and advanced to the United States by the end of his pro debut the following summer. He opened this season in Single-A but faced just three batters in an April appearance before going on the shelf for four months with triceps soreness. When he returned to the mound in August, his fastball touched 102 mph in his second outing in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League.
Santa entered pro ball with an 88- to 91-mph fastball and has added significant velocity as he has gotten stronger, now sitting in the mid-90s with riding action. He added a hard slider during instructional league last offseason and it exudes power as well, climbing as high as 89 mph. He also has a high-spin downer curveball in the upper 70s and is making some progress with a fading changeup.
Though he's small for a starter, Santa has thick, powerful legs that the Astros believe will enable him to handle a starter's workload. He has an easy delivery that should lend itself to throwing strikes, further bolstering his chances of remaining in the rotation. He barely has pitched in his first three years as a pro so he still has much yet to prove.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here
