Prospect Profile: Antonio Santos Joins a Long Line of Gambles in MiLB Free Agency (2024)

Posted by Todd Johnson | Jun 25, 2024 | Breaking News, Cubs Prospects, Cubs System, Farm System, Featured Post, Free Agency, Minor League Free Agency, Minor League News, Prospect Profile, Todd Johnson | 0 |

Antonio Santos – Pic via Colorado Rockies

Last week, the Cubs continued their 2024 traditions of going out and signing minor league free agent. This time it was pitcher Antonio Santos. The big right hand had previously pitched in the Mets and Rocky system for eight seasons.

Basic Information

Age – 27
Height – 6-foot-3
Weight – 223
Throws – Right
Signed as an IFA by the Rockies in July 2015

Originally, Santos was a starter in the lower part of the Rocky system. He worked a lot of innings early in his career. And he got in some work in the major leagues and 2020. Santos struggled when he was sent back down to the minors in 2021. After being released, he hooked up with the Mets and things did not work out there and what was a one year deal.

Here is a brief summary of his career by year.

Career Highlights

2015 – Stud in DSL, 0..75 ERA in 6 games, 5 as a starter
2016 – 2 games in DSL with a 1.80 ERA and then he was promoted all the way to Boise. Made 13 starts with a 5.30 ERA
2017 – Assigned to Low A Asheville. He made 27 starts and pitched 147 innings. 5.39 ERA
2018 – He made 27 starts in 18 between Asheville and Lancaster with a combined 4.80 with 142 Ks in 152 innings.
2019 – He finally got to AA for 8 games after getting in 18 at High A Lancaster. That fall, he pitched in 8 games in the AFL with a 2.77 ERA.
2020 – He made 3 appearances in the majors with the Rockies. He started 1 game and had a 16.50 ERA.
2021 – He bounced between AAA and Colorado. He moved to the bullpen at AAA where he struggled with a 7+ ERA but his ERA in 7 games with the Rockies was 4.76. At the end of the year, he was claimed off of waivers by the Mets. That winter, he played for Licey in the Dominican Winter League. He had a 1.00 ERA in 9 games as a reliever.
2022 – His first year as a Met was not a good year. He had a combined ERA of almost 6 between AA and AAA. He became a free agent at the end of the year.
2023 – He played for Licey in the winter and no one in the summer. Then he was back in the Dominican with Gigantes where he pitched well. He had a 2.77 ERA in 7 games.
2024 – He then signed with Puebla in the Mexican where he pitched well again with a 2.49 ERA in 21.2 innings with 25 Ks in 4 games, all as a starter. He signed with the Cubs on June 21 and was assigned to Double-A Tennessee.

Yeah, watching Santos pitch for the Smokies last week, the basketball looks pretty decent, especially up in the zone. When he threw with change up, it’s sort of fell off the table. He did not throw the change up very much, which may have resulted in the home run gave up. But he threw hard, he sat in that 93 to 95 range. He might pitch a lot different in his second outing as he becomes more familiar with the catchers and they become familiar with what he throws.

The reason I say that is he was sort of was thrown out there quickly and Casey Opitz did the best he could in calling pitches for him. Still, once the familiarity gets better, the sequence of pitches could change quite a bit as the catchers may want to see that change up more than they want to see his fastball.

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