Jose Santos (minors02)

Jose R. Santos

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 195 lb.

• Born March 1, 1974 in Santiago, Santiago D.R.

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Infielder Jose Santos played in the minor leagues from 1995 to 2003. He was originally signed by the Texas Rangers as an international amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic before the 1995 season, which he spent in the Dominican Summer League. In 1996, he split time between the GCL Rangers and Charleston RiverDogs, hitting .228/.318/.423 in 91 games. He had 24 extra-base hits in 54 games in the Gulf Coast League, but hits just .199 at the higher level. In 1997, he played 28 games in the GCL, hitting .269, and 2 games for the Port Charlotte Rangers of the Florida State League.

His career really got going in 1998 when he hit .299 in 107 games for the Savannah Sand Gnats of the South Atlantic League. That caught the attention of the Florida Marlins, who acquired him in a trade on July 31st along with P Daniel DeYoung in return for 3B Todd Zeile. He finished the year with the Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League, but fell to .188 in 32 games. He spent all of 1999 at Kane County, batting .270/.397/.482 in 128 games, with 30 doubles, 19 homers and 105 RBIs as the team's regular third baseman. However, he was already 25 and quite old for the level, and was unable to build on this. Moving up to the Brevard County Manatees of the FSL in 2000, he batted .216 with 7 homers and 54 RBIs in 129 games, prompting the Marlins to have him repeat the level in 2001. Things went much better in his second go-round, as he batted .265/.391/.450 with 18 homers and 81 RBIs in 121 games. But by then, age was really starting to be an issue.

He moved up to AA for the first time in 2002, with the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League but hit .210 in 68 games, prompting a demotion back to the FSL, where the Jupiter Hammerheads were now the Marlins' affiliate. Things did not go much better as he hit .235 in 29 games. Still, following the season, he played on the Dominican Republic national team in the 2002 Intercontinental Cup. He hit .194/.297/.290 while alternating between 1B and LF. He remained with them when they won Bronze at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games. He returned to Jupiter in 2003 for what turned out to be his final season as a professional. As one of the oldest regulars in the circuit, he hit .258 in 94 games, with 5 homers and 36 RBIs to bring his career to a close.