The well-traveled Hector Santiago made his long-time dream of playing for the New York Mets come true in 2019. His time as a Met only lasted a month, but Santiago played in front of family and friends for the first time.
Source: Mets have a deal with pitcher Hector Santiago. Minor league deal. Depth piece.
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 5, 2019
Santiago signed with the Mets during the last offseason to add some depth to their pitching staff. He wanted the chance to play for a contender and show the Mets he could bounce back from a couple of subpar seasons. Santiago started the season in Triple-A and pitched well. In 43 innings, he had a 3.35 ERA and was 3-1 over eight outings.
Month as a Met
Santiago got the call to the MLB on May 20 after Seth Lugo went to the Injured List. His role was pitching in long relief and eating up innings when the game was out of reach for either team. After two scoreless outings, he allowed runs in five of the next six. The issue throughout his career has been his control, and those problems continued, walking six in eight innings.
One of the Mets' offseason pitching depth additions has left the organization. Left-hander Hector Santiago, whom the Mets' DFA'd last weekend, rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Syracuse and declared free agency. He had a 6.75 ERA in eight big league appearances.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 19, 2019
The Mets designated him for assignment on June 15 and Santiago then elected free agency. His 6.75 ERA made him a prime candidate to join the Chicago White Sox as a free agent. Santiago finished the season with a 6.66 ERA with the White Sox.
Winter League Revival
Santiago is currently pitching in the Puerto Rican Winter League and is dominating. He has only allowed four runs and nine walks over 49 innings. This includes two complete games and has been an excellent for Santiago to latch on to a club in Spring Training.
Grades:
Pitching Repertoire: C, He throws five different pitches but relies on his fastball, slider, and change-up the most. The change-up has a screwball type movement, which is very rare today.
Control: D+, 5.6 BB/9 was the highest of his career.
Composure: B, Hard to rattle this veteran.
Intangibles: B
Overall: D-, There were low expectations, but the results were nowhere near expected.