Who is Edgar Santana?

Edgar Santana will most likely be the first former West Virginia Black Bears player to make it to PNC Park (not counting players who rehabbed in Morgantown). He has made a rapid progression through the Pittsburgh minor league system during the last two seasons and his performance in this year’s Arizona Fall League was impressive. It’s hard to believe that he didn’t start playing baseball until he was 19 years old.

Santana made his minor league debut in 2014, in the Dominican Summer League after signing with the Pirates as an international free agent in October, 2013. He started the 2015 season in Morgantown with the Black Bears, appearing in 14 games in relief.  He was 1-0, with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 30 innings before being promoted to the West Virginia Power in August. He appeared in 8 games with the Power as they advanced to the Northern Division Championship series in the Sally League.

His advancement continued in 2016. Santana was initially assigned to the Bradenton Marauders in the Advanced A, Florida State League. He continued to impress and his stay in Florida was short (2-0, 0.81 ERA, 0.67 WHIP in 9 games). He was promoted to Altoona in the AA Eastern League on May 10, and made 21 relief appearances (2-1, 2.83 ERA,1.04 WHIP). On August 1, he was assigned to the AAA Indianapolis Indians and finished the season pitching in 13 games in relief (0-0, 12 strikeouts, 5.06 ERA, 1.75 WHIP).

Santana continued to show big league potential in the Arizona Fall League, pitching 13.2 shutout innings in 9 games (0-0, 3 saves, 18 strikeouts, 0.00 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) for the Surprise Saguaros.

MLB.com has Santana ranked 29th on their list of the Pirates top 30 prospects. Their evaluation states: “Santana has the stuff to succeed in a Major League bullpen. He'll throw his fastball in the mid-90s and can reach back on occasion for more. He has two usable secondary offerings in his slider and changeup, both of which will actually flash above-average at times. Consistency is still the key for Santana, who has only pitched in the United States for two seasons. He does tend to throw a lot of strikes and can generate ground-ball outs, something the Pirates covet.” See his complete minor league stats here.

Based on Santana’s quick rise in the Pirates organization, expect to see him pitching in relief for the Pirates sometime during the 2017 season.  Tracking the former West Virginia Black Bears as they advance in the Pirates organization will be fun over the next few years. Look for Kevin Newman to follow Edgar Santana as the next former Black Bears prospect playing in Pittsburgh, probably in 2018.

Photo Credits: MiLB.com

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