In 37 days, the Pittsburgh Pirates will send their pitchers and catchers to the fields of Pirate City for their first workouts of Spring Training.
The countdown to the first workout of the spring for pitchers and catchers of the Pittsburgh Pirates is down to 37 days! Insert Homer Simpson woohoo meme here.
Number 37 for the Pittsburgh Pirates is right-handed relief pitcher Edgar Santana. The 26-year-old Santana made his Major League debut during the 2017 season. After going up and down between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, as well as up and down results to start his career, Santana had a strong September to springboard him into the off-season.
In 19 games last season Santana pitched 18 innings. He allowed just 16 hits and a pair of home runs while also striking out 20 batters. Santana’s issue was something that he never struggled with in the minor leagues – control.
Edgar Santana walked 12 batters in just 18 innings of work at the Major League level last season. This came after averaging just 1.86 BB/9 at the Triple-A level last season, and 2.67 BB/9 combined between Double-A and Triple-A in 2016.
Overall last season, Santana owned a 3.50 ERA and a 4.55 FIP. However, in 8 1/3 innings pitched in September Santana allowed just four hits, he did not allow a home run or an earned run, and he owned a 3.38 FIP. Hopefully, the month of September was a sign of Edgar Santana turning a corner and it can be used to vault him into big things in 2018.
During the 2018 season Edgar Santana will be looked upon to play a big role in the bullpen for the Pittsburgh Pirates and for good reason. Santana owns a plus fastball and a wipeout slider. If he is able to get his control back in line with where it was in the minor leagues, then Santana has all the tools needed to be a late inning/high-leverage situation reliever for the Pirates.
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2018 has the potential to be a big year for Edgar Santana, and that year starts when Santana and his fellow Pirate pitchers have their first workout of the spring at Pirate City in just 37 days.