PHILADELPHIA — Edgar Santana’s story is unlike many in Major League Baseball.
The 25-year-old reliever was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis to the Pirates on June 10 — only six years after he first started pitching in the Dominican Republic and less than three years after he signed his first professional contract.
His first stint in the major leagues lasted less than one month, but Clint Hurdle said it’s only the first chapter in what has been a "remarkable story."
Santana was optioned back to Triple-A on Monday with Francisco Cervelli being activated from the seven-day disabled list, and though his nine appearances were mostly ineffective, both Santana and Hurdle are confident he’ll be back in the major leagues.
“This is the first adversity (I’ve experienced) throughout my career,” Santana said in Spanish, with interpreter Mike Gonzalez translating at Citizens Bank Park. “It’s always been going up. This is the first time getting sent down. At the same time I don’t see this as a defeat. ... My time here has been amazing. I’ve been treated well. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been able to capture a lot, evaluate a lot about myself."
Though Santana did not make the major league roster out of spring training, he was among the top relievers in the International League before being recalled, with a 1.93 ERA in 32 innings, including a 21 2/3 inning scoreless streak, and a 1-1 record. He also had control of his two primary pitches, a two-seam fastball and slider, striking out 31 and walking only seven.
That control eluded him once he arrived in Pittsburgh.
Santana had a 5.87 ERA with 12 strikeouts and five walks in 7 2/3 innings. His WHIP rose to 1.96 after he pitched the eighth inning of the Pirates’ 5-3 loss to the Giants Sunday at PNC Park.
He allowed a leadoff double to Joe Panik after leaving a slider high and over the plate. Santana then recovered by striking out back-to-back hitters, including Buster Posey — the National League leader in batting average — with a sweeping 85-mph slider that was low and out of the zone.
Santana then left another slider hanging to Brandon Belt, who drilled a two-run homer over the Clemente Wall.
With the bullpen reeling and Hurdle wanting to keep three catchers until at least Friday, Santana was demoted after the Pirates arrived in Philadelphia.
“I think he showed us what everyone has seen come along,” Hurdle said. “You’ve seen an arm that can play out of the bullpen. It’s a very good two-seam fastball with late life. It can be a very sharp slider. As I shared with Edgar here today, this is just another part of the story. This isn’t the end of the story. He’s been on an HOV lane to get here. It’s a remarkable story in and of itself.”
Like most young pitchers, Santana is still trying to throw with consistency. His two-seam fastball averages 95-mph and his slider has bite that has proven to fool even the most experienced hitters. But mistakes are magnified in the major leagues.
Now, he’ll work to throw the slider with more consistency — particularly to left-handed hitters — while also becoming more confident in his third pitch. Per a request from the front office, Santana has added a changeup to his arsenal. The idea is that a third pitch could help him when tasked with facing a batting order a second time, but Santana has been uncomfortable throwing it.
Santana did not throw one during this first stint in the majors, wanting to first prove his two-seam fastball and slider were enough to succeed. He noticed that will have to change, though.
“The changeup is definitely going to be a good component to staying in the big leagues,” Santana said. “It’s going to be something that will help me in the sense that now I don’t just have two pitches. I’ll have three pitches. It’s going to get batters thinking a lot more, so it’s something I want to build and build more.”
With the Pirates’ bullpen reeling as of late, a sharpened Santana could find his way back sooner rather than later, especially with the trade deadline approaching. How he responds to the first adversity of his young baseball career could determine how long his second stint will last, but Hurdle has seen enough to think Santana has the tools to be much more than a phenom.
“We believe the skill set will play up here,” Hurdle said. “Now it’s going back there and developing some more consistency.”
