Johan Santana

Johan Alexander Santana (English pronunciation: /ˈjoʊhən ˈsæntənə/; born March 13, 1979) is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the New York Mets. He is a two-time Cy Young award winner. His repertoire includes a 91-94 mph fastball, along with a circle changeup, and a slider, considered by many to be one of the best pitch combinations in baseball. Santana was discovered in 1994 by Andrés Reiner, a scout who was work... more

Johan Alexander Santana (English pronunciation: /ˈjoʊhən ˈsæntənə/; born March 13, 1979) is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher who plays for the New York Mets. He is a two-time Cy Young award winner. His repertoire includes a 91-94 mph fastball, along with a circle changeup, and a slider, considered by many to be one of the best pitch combinations in baseball. Santana was discovered in 1994 by Andrés Reiner, a scout who was working for the Houston Astros at the time. He signed Santana and sent him to his academy in Guacara in January 1995. Santana did not like it and almost left, but Reiner convinced him to stay. While originally a center fielder, Santana was converted to a pitcher at the academy due to his arm speed. In 1999 he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year. After the 1999 major league season, he was left unprotected by the Houston Astros and eligible in the Rule 5 draft. The Twins had the first pick that year, the Marlins the second. The Twins made... less