Fautino De Los Santos Stats & Scouting Report

IP	36
ERA	4.25
WHIP	1.5
BB/9	5
SO/9	11.5

Full name Fautino De Los Santos
Born 02/15/1986 in Samana, Dominican Republic
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 06/04/2011

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

De los Santos electrified a national audience at the 2007 Futures Game, hitting 97 mph on the radar gun in San Francisco. It was one of many highlights during a breakout seson in which he went 10-5, 2.65 at two Class A stops in the White Sox system, but he scarcely has been heard from since. Chicago shipped him to Oakland after the 2007 season, along with Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney, to obtain Nick Swisher. De los Santos made just five appearances with his new organization before breaking down and needing Tommy John surgery. An unusually long recovery period meant he didn't get back to the mound full-time until 2010, and the A's moved him to the bullpen in light of his health problems. De los Santos had used four pitches as a starter but reinvented himself as a two-pitch reliever, relying on his fastball and slider. His lively heater sits in the mid-90s and can top out at 99 mph. His slider looks major league-caliber at times, but it's inconsistent and needs to be tightened up. He has trouble staying on line to the plate during his delivery, hurting his command and making his slider flatten out. De los Santos has the potential to be an impact reliever if he can refine his command. He'll likely return to Double-A to open 2011.
De los Santos burst onto the scene in 2007, going a combined 10-5, 2.65 between two Class A stops in the White Sox system, overpowering hitters with a mid-90s fastball and earning a trip to the Futures Game. After the season, Chicago dealt him, Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney to the A's in exchange for Nick Swisher. While Gonzalez and Sweeney have logged big league time, Oakland barely has been able to evaluate de los Santos since the trade. He has pitched just 35 innings over the last two seasons, having been shut down early in the 2008 season because he needed Tommy John surgery and not getting back on the mound until late in 2009. Still, the A's remain excited about his potential. De los Santos was throwing in the mid-90s and touching 98 mph in the team's Dominican instructional league in November. His changeup showed encouraging signs as well, coming out with great hand speed around 84 mph with some depth. His slider was a plus pitch before the surgery, and he featured a curveball as well, and working those two pitches back into his arsenal will be the next step in his progression back from the surgery. The A's added de los Santos to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He should be fully healthy for 2010, when he'll resume his career in high Class A.
De los Santos was an unknown before his spectacular U.S. debut in 2007, when he blew away hitters in Class A and lit up radar guns at the Futures Game. After the season, the White Sox packaged him with Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Sweeney to acquire Nick Swisher from the A's. De los Santos barely pitched for his new organization, however, making just five starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Prior to his injury, de los Santos showed a lively fastball. He was capable of pitching down in the zone with a low-90s two-seamer or at the letters with a mid-90s four-seamer that peaked at 97. He also demonstrated the ability to spin both a curveball and a slider, with the latter a plus pitch. He also had a changeup but often threw the pitch too hard. De los Santos has a tendency to get out of control with his delivery, causing him to spin off toward first base. He began a throwing program in November but likely won't begin throwing bullpen sessions until spring training. He could return to regular-season action in June.
The White Sox haven't done well signing and developing players from the Dominican Republic in recent years, but de los Santos is the type of prospect who makes the effort worthwhile. He flashed his potential in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League in 2006, then burst onto the U.S. scene last year. He made the low Class A Kannapolis roster to open the season, flashed a 96-97 mph fastball and a plus slider in the Futures Game and finished by pitching well at high Class A Winston- Salem. De los Santos has a collection of plus pitches and the innate ability to use them. He has developed four pitches at a young age, including a fastball, slider and curveball that all rate among the best in the system, and he'll throw them all whether he's ahead or behind in the count. His fastball can overpower hitters, buzzing into the top of the strike zone in the mid-90s or at the bottom of the zone with sink in the low 90s. He has been poised on the mound and coachable on the sidelines, and made the often-difficult transition to the United States with impressive grace. De los Santos improved his changeup greatly over the course of the season but it remains a pitch in progress. He often throws it in the high 80s, not achieving enough differential from his fastball. More advanced hitters are more likely to lay off his breaking pitches, and he'll have to prove he can throw quality strikes when they do. He needs to polish his pickoff move. His high ceiling as a frontline starter could force him into major league consideration in a hurry. He could open 2008 at Double-A Birmingham and Chicago may break him into the majors as a reliever, as it did at a young age with Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland.

Minor League Top Prospects

Unknown coming into the season, de los Santos overpowered the league for much of the season's four months, averaging 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings while limiting opponents to a .148 average. Though he experience a little bit of a dead arm prior to his promotion to high Class A, he didn't allow an earned run in his final 17 innings in the SAL. De los Santos owns a four-pitch arsenal that begins with a 93-95 mph fastball that touches 97, and also features a plus slider, a curveball and a changeup. He battled his control early in the year but got better as the season progressed. Kannapolis used him in its rotation and its bullpen, and he has the stuff to thrive in either role. "He's a top-of-the-line starting pitcher or a quality closer," West Virginia manager Mike Guerrero said. "He has the tools, especially with that fastball and slider. I like him a lot, the way he pitches inside and the poise he showed on the mound."