A bit of a late bloomer, Santana didn't sign with the Pirates until just before his 22nd birthday, and hadn't pitched a ton when he did join the organization in 2013. It didn't take him long to get acclimated, however, and he touched the big leagues for the first time in 2017.
Santana has largely used two pitches to put himself in position to be a big league reliever. He'll throw his fastball up to 96-97 mph and often throws it downhill with good life, both missing bats and generating groundball outs. He couples it with his above-average slider and can serve as a true out pitch when his mechanics are in line, which happens more often than not. While his walks spiked a bit in the big leagues, perhaps a sign of him trying to do too much, he's always been able to fill the zone with those two pitches.
Santana's left-right splits haven't been pretty, with left-handed hitters faring quite well against him. As a result, the Pirates are trying to get him to focus on throwing his changeup more to keep them honest. The addition of that should help him settle in as a middle reliever or setup man in Pittsburgh.
Statcast - Pitching
Season
Pitches
Batted Balls
Barrels
Barrel %
Exit Velocity
Launch Angle
XBA
XSLG
WOBA
XWOBA
XWOBACON
Hard Hit %
2017
296
48
1
2.1
87.7
6.3
.215
.375
.338
.319
.359
29.2
2018
929
202
13
6.4
88.8
12.0
.254
.416
.282
.304
.362
38.1
ALL
1225
250
14
5.6
88.6
10.9
.246
.408
.295
.308
.362
36.4
MLB
31265
6.1
87.3
10.9
.246
.403
.317
.314
.364
34.2
Rankings
Games Played
Year
BP
Rank
2018
69
19th in NL
Transactions
Team
Date
Transaction
10/14/2017
RHP Edgar Santana assigned to Gigantes del Cibao.
09/10/2017
Pittsburgh Pirates recalled RHP Edgar Santana from Indianapolis Indians.
08/23/2017
Pittsburgh Pirates optioned RHP Edgar Santana to Indianapolis Indians.
08/22/2017
Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Edgar Santana from Indianapolis Indians.
07/03/2017
Pittsburgh Pirates optioned RHP Edgar Santana to Indianapolis Indians.
06/10/2017
Pittsburgh Pirates selected the contract of Edgar Santana from Indianapolis Indians.
01/09/2017
Pittsburgh Pirates invited non-roster RHP Edgar Santana to spring training.
08/01/2016
RHP Edgar Santana assigned to Indianapolis Indians from Altoona Curve.
05/10/2016
RHP Edgar Santana assigned to Altoona Curve from Bradenton Marauders.
04/05/2016
RHP Edgar Santana assigned to Bradenton Marauders from West Virginia Power.
08/09/2015
RHP Edgar Santana assigned to West Virginia Power from West Virginia Black Bears.
05/30/2014
RHP Edgar Santana assigned to DSL Pirates.
10/12/2013
Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent RHP Edgar Santana to a minor league contract.
