Santiago Flórez

Santiago Jesús Florez Payán

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 222 lb.

• Born May 9, 2000 in Barranquilla, Atlántico Colombia

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Santiago Florez has pitched in the minors and for the Colombian national team.

He was signed by Pittsburgh Pirates scouts Rene Gayo, Orlando Covo and José Mosquera at age 16. He was 2-5 with a 4.56 ERA and 38 walks in 53 1/3 innings in his pro debut with the 2017 DSL Pirates. He was 9th in the Dominican Summer League in walks. Moving up to the US the next year, he flipped his record to 5-2 while posting a 4.15 ERA for the GCL Pirates. He tied for third in the Gulf Coast League in victories but tied for fifth with ten wild pitches. With the 2019 Bristol Pirates, he continued to progress at 2-2, 3.46. The 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Returning to the hill in 2021, he was excellent for the Bradenton Marauders (5-2, Sv, 1.37 in 10 G, .85 WHIP, 71 K in 52 2/3 IP) but struggled with the Greensboro Grasshoppers (3-3, 7.53 in 11 G). He was third in the minors and first in the South Atlantic League in ERA at the time of his promotion from Bradenton. He tied Grant Ford for third in the Bucco chain in wins and was third in K behind Adrian Florencio and Luis Ortiz. In '22, he again struggled with Greensboro at 2-4, 6.50 in 32 games, mostly in relief now. In the 2022 U-23 Baseball World Cup, he was 1-0 with one unearned run in ten innings for Colombia, pitching well against Taiwan and beating Germany and Samuel Steigert. Only Ky Jackson had a better ERA in the event, also at 0 but in more innings.

The tall right-hander was on Colombia's squad for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His lone game was a tough assignment, against a Team USA that averaged over seven runs a game and was loaded with superstars. He relieved Luis De Avila with two outs in the second and no one on, with the game still scoreless. He got Tim Anderson swinging. He also fanned Will Smith, opening the third, then got tourney All-Star Trea Turner to line out. After that, things turned south as Mookie Betts singled and Florez's wild pitch sent him to second. Mike Trout singled in Betts and Paul Goldschmidt drew a walk, then Jhon Romero relieved and escaped further damage. Colombia took the lead in the bottom of the inning so Florez was not handed the loss.