Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Santo Domingo, the capital city of the Dominican Republic, is the cultural apex of the country, and has also emerged as a consistent producer of big league talent. De Los Santos aspires to be next up in a lineage that includes David Ortiz, among other former All-Stars. One of the youngest members of this year's international class, De Los Santos, who comes from a baseball family, trains with Jaime Ramos in San Cristóbal, a member of MLB's Trainer Partnership program.

De Los Santos' on-field instincts are highly regarded, as is his passion for the game. He deploys a line drive-based approach from the left-handed batter's box, although his physique and twitchy actions leave the door open for some power to come into his game as he matures. 

As is often the case with hyper-talented international prospects at a younger age, De Los Santos gets the majority of his looks at shortstop. He displays strong actions and an above-average throwing arm, which bodes well for his future up the middle. Also a tick above average as a runner, his wheels help him get to balls other infielders can't and his bat-to-ball approach allows him to beat out infield grounders for hits.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

What's better than one member of the De Los Santos family in your system? Two. The Pirates signed Yordany De Los Santos in 2022, then circled back to sign his younger brother Johan in 2025, who was No. 23 on MLB Pipeline's Top 50 International Prospects list for that signing period. After getting $2.25 million to join his brother in the system, Johan had a very strong professional debut in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .353 with a .911 OPS while not turning 17 until late July. He came stateside and got off to an equally solid start in the Florida Complex League in 2026.

Swinging the bat from the left side of the plate, De Los Santos has a feel for the barrel with a line-drive approach and solid bat speed. He's athletic and twitchy in the box, and while he's hit-over-power, he could add strength to his 5-foot-11 frame with impact to come. He's an above-average runner who has already shown he likes to be aggressive on the basepaths.

Primarily a shortstop as an amateur, De Los Santos has the actions and an above-average arm to give him a chance to play the premium position going forward. He's been splitting time between short and second base thus far in his blossoming pro career, as the Pirates like to encourage versatility to their young prospects, giving them options if De Los Santos' bat develops like it looks like it might as he rises through the system.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

The De Los Santos family must be doing something right. At least the Pirates think so. In 2022, they gave Yordany De Los Santos $1.2 million to sign. Three years later, at the start of the 2025 international signing period, they signed his younger brother Johan for $2.25 million. The younger De Los Santos ranked No. 23 on MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 50 international prospects list and was one of the youngest players in the class, not turning 17 until late July.

A left-handed hitter with a feel for finding the barrel, De Los Santos has a line-drive approach with a sound swing and bat speed. He's athletic with twitchy actions and could add strength to his 5-foot-11 frame with perhaps more impact to come, though he's likely to always be a hit-over-power type of offensive performer. He has good speed with the chance to make plays on the basepaths.

With good actions and an above-average arm, De Los Santos has largely played only shortstop and will likely get plenty of reps at the premium position as he embarks on his professional career. The Pirates like to introduce multiple positions to players at a young age to encourage versatility, so don't be surprised if the younger De Los Santos sees some time at second base in the future.

Awards

DSL Mid-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2025

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	05/18/2026	SS Johan De Los Santos assigned to FCL Pirates from Bradenton Marauders.
	05/15/2026	SS Johan De Los Santos assigned to Bradenton Marauders from FCL Pirates.
	02/22/2026	IF Johan De Los Santos assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates.
	02/22/2026	IF Johan De Los Santos roster status changed by Pittsburgh Pirates.
	01/26/2026	SS Johan De Los Santos assigned to FCL Pirates from DSL Pirates Gold.
	08/25/2025	SS Johan De Los Santos assigned to DSL Pirates Gold from DSL Pirates Black.
	07/20/2025	SS Johan De Los Santos assigned to DSL NL All-Stars.
	02/28/2025	SS Johan De Los Santos assigned to DSL Pirates Black.
	01/15/2025	Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent SS Johan De Los Santos to a minor league contract.