Víctor Irving Santos (born 2 October 1976) is a
Dominican former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
as a
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...
from to .
Early life
Santos was born in
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís is a city and municipality (''municipio'') in the Dominican Republic. The capital of its eponymous province in the east region of the country, it is among the ten largest cities of the Dominican Republic. The city has approx ...
,
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
. His biography lists that he graduated from
Passaic High School in
Passaic, New Jersey
Passaic ( or ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the state's 16th-most-populous ...
in 1995, though Santos was a four-year starter on the baseball team at
Saint Peter's College in
. In 1994, he was named
Most Valuable Player
In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
of the
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachuse ...
baseball tournament, where he was the winning pitcher twice in the Peacocks' three-game sweep. Santos is the first former Peacock baseball player to reach the majors.
Professional career
Santos signed with the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
as a non-drafted
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
in 1995. In 2001, Santos was named Tigers Rookie of the Year. Although he allowed some unearned runs, Santos posted a 0.00
ERA
An era is a span of time.
Era or ERA may also refer to:
* Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time
* Calendar era
Education
* Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school
* ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia
* E ...
over his first 27.1
innings
An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). In cricket and rounders, "innings" is ...
in the majors, the longest such streak to start a career since
Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (; November 1, 1960 – October 22, 2024), nicknamed "El Toro", was a Mexican professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from 1980 to 1997 (except for a one-year sabba ...
of the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in 1980–81 (34 innings). For his effort, he was named Detroit rookie of the year by the Detroit Sports
Broadcasters Association.
Santos was traded to the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
for
José Paniagua
José Luis Paniagua Sánchez (born August 20, 1973) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He appeared in Major League Baseball from 1996 through 2003 with the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Wh ...
in 2002 and acquired by the Texas Rangers before the 2003 season. Then he signed a
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...
contract with the Milwaukee Brewers before being called up for the 2004 season, where he earned his way onto the starting rotation. After two years with Milwaukee, he made an unusual route via the
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
and the
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...
onto the major-league roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the
2006 season.
The Pirates granted him free agency on October 6, 2006, immediately after the 2006 season ended. On January 8, 2007, he signed a minor league deal with the Reds. On September 7, 2007, he was traded to the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
for cash considerations.
Santos elected free agency on October 12, 2007. On January 11, 2008, Santos signed with the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
to a minor league contract with an invitation to
spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
. He became a free agent at the end of the season. After splitting the 2009 season between the independent
Newark Bears
The Newark Bears were an American independent league professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They were a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball and, later, the Canadian American Association of Professional Bas ...
and the
Vaqueros Laguna, he played with the Vaqueros again in 2010, appearing in 10 games with a 3–4 record.
Personal life
Santos has been a resident of
Woodland Park, New Jersey
Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2020 United States census, the population was 13,484.
What is now Woodland Park was formed as a borough, under the name West Pater ...
.
[Idec, Keith]
"Back to basics - Ex-big leaguer Santos trying to keep his time in minors short"
''Herald News
The ''Herald News'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper headquartered in Woodland Park, New Jersey, that focuses on the Passaic County, New Jersey area. Today's ''Herald News'' is descended from several papers, but did not come to be until two ...
'', May 26, 2008. Accessed November 12, 2013. "'Basically I've been going out there, giving this team a chance to win and showing them that I'm still solid, so they can give me a call up to the big leagues,' said Santos, who owns a home in West Paterson."
References
External links
, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Victor
1976 births
Living people
Águilas Cibaeñas players
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from Passaic, New Jersey
Cañeros de Los Mochis players
Cincinnati Reds players
Colorado Rockies players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
Detroit Tigers players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Fresno Grizzlies players
Gulf Coast Tigers players
Indianapolis Indians players
Jacksonville Suns players
Lakeland Tigers players
Leones del Escogido players
Louisville Bats players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
Mexican League baseball pitchers
Milwaukee Brewers players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
Newark Bears players
Oklahoma RedHawks players
Passaic High School alumni
Baseball players from San Pedro de Macorís
People from Woodland Park, New Jersey
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Saint Peter's Peacocks baseball players
Senadores de San Juan players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Puerto Rico
Texas Rangers players
Vaqueros Laguna players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela