Edgar Santana’s Surprising Success

BRADENTON, Fla.—A fact of life for amateur players in the Dominican Republic is that they become less desirable to most major league organizations each day after their 16th birthday. That the first day they are permitted to sign professional contracts.

Teams wants to get international players into their system and acclimate them to professional baseball as quickly as possible.

In that context, righthander Edgar Santana’s success with the Pirates has been remarkable. He was not signed until four days before his 22nd birthday in 2013. By Dominican standards, that is ancient.

Santana did not play organized baseball while growing up and dreamed about earning a college degree, but a Dominican trainer saw him at age 19 and asked him to throw off a mound.

His first pitch registered at 85 mph.

“I had no idea how to throw,” Santana said. “My mechanics were a mess.”

Though the Yankees, Astros and Nationals all worked Santana out, none of them signed him.

Just when Santana thought it was time to give up on baseball and enroll in college, the Pirates took a shot and signed him in October 2013. He has rocketed through the system.

In 78 minor league relief appearances over three seasons, Santana has recorded a 2.99 ERA with an impressive ratio of 130 strikeouts and 31 walks in 141.1 innings. He then pitched 13.2 scoreless innings in the Arizona Fall League last season.

The 25-year-old Santana will begin this season at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he finished last year. That will place him on the brink of the major leagues.

“I knew when I signed I had to do well because I didn’t have a lot of time,” Santana said.

PITTBURGERS

• Righthander Danny Beddes, a 15th-round pick last year, retired despite having a strong a debut season at short-season West Virginia. The Utah Valley University product was selected for the New York-Penn League all-star game and went 6-3, 2.27 in 14 games while allowing just 48 hits in 71.1 innings.

• Among pitchers released from minor league camp were righthanders Jake Burnette, who signed for $550,000 as an 11th-round pick in 2011, and Neil Kozikowski, who received a $425,000 bonus in 2013 as an eighth-round pick. Neither advanced past low Class A.

— John Perrotto is a writer based in Beaver Falls, Pa.