Benito Santiago
Benito Santiago was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, United States on March 9th, 1965 and is the Baseball Player. At the age of 59, Benito Santiago biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 59 years old, Benito Santiago has this physical status:
Benito Santiago Rivera (born March 9, 1965) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played for twenty years in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Despite being a member of ten different franchises, it was his first team, the San Diego Padres, that had the most success.
Santiago was regarded as the best catcher in the National League in the late 1980s and early 1990s. (NL)
Personal life
Benito Santiago Jr., a Puerto Rican professional basketball player who currently plays for the Valiant Nacional (BSN), Puerto Rico's highest tier basketball league, has a son named Benito Santiago Jr.
Baseball career
Santiago was signed by the San Diego Padres as an amateur free agent on September 1, 1982. He made his Major League debut with the Padres on September 14, 1986 at the age of 21 after playing four seasons in the minor leagues. Santiago set a new Major League record for a rookie by winning in 34 straight games. It was also the longest hitting streak by a catcher in major league history. He ended the season with career-highs in hits (164), doubles (33) and batting average (.300). The 1987 National League Rookie of the Year Award was unanimously selected for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Despite failing defensively, leading the league in errors and missed balls, his hitting success earned him the 1988 Silver Slugger Award, which is given annually to the best offensive player at each position.
Although Santiago made a name for himself with his offensive statistics, he soon became well-known for his defensive skills, most notable for his strong throwing arm. Santiago was known for his ability to yank base stealers from a kneeling position. He was one of the top catches in National League assists and in baserunners caught stealing at a 45% clip in 1988, beating the league's average of 30%. Despite the fact that he led the league's catchers with 12 errors, it was still an improvement over the 22 he had committed the previous season. In 1988, Santiago received the first of three consecutive Gold Glove Awards. The Padres also earned their second straight Silver Slugger Award, placing them in third place in the National League Western Division.
Despite his low numbers in 1989 to 1989, he was still hitting for just.236 on average at mid-season, but his defensive reputation earned him the starting catcher's job in the 1989 All-Star Game. As the Padres climbed to second place in the season's final standings, he was awarded the 1989 National League Gold Glove Award for catchers.
Santiago had a good run in 1990 and was hitting for a.317 batting average in mid-June when he was struck by a pitch and had to miss six weeks of the season. He earned his third Silver Slugger Award on the season, with a.270 average, 11 home runs, and 53 runs batted in. He was also named as a reserve for the National League in 1990 and received his third straight Gold Glove Award.
Santiago had been looking for a four-year deal worth $11 million before the 1991 season, but the plaintiff was denied his arbitration appeal and was given a one-year deal worth $1.65 million. After the 1992 season, a dissatisfied Santiago reported that he will leave the Padres before he became eligible for free agency. When the Padres cut players like Joe Carter and Jack Clark away, he was disillusioned. In June, Padres manager Greg Riddoch was suspended for his lack of energy on the playing field. Despite the challenges, Santiago led the league's catchers with 100 assists and a career-high 87 runs batted in.
Santiago was back to arbitration before the 1992 season, this time after winning a $3.3 million one-year deal that made him the highest paid catcher in professional baseball. In September 1992, the Padres announced that they did not want to re-sign Santiago in what was seen as a cost-cutting measure.
Santiago's uniform number is also unusual; he wore a jersey with the number 09 from 1991 to 1994, making him one of the few major professional sports players to have ever wore a leading zero as part of his uniform number.
Santiago signed the newly formed Florida Marlins on December 16, 1992, marking the first home run in team history. Despite his hitting for a.273 average in 1994, he was granted free agency after the season, as the Marlins were poised to promote their young catching prospect, Charles Johnson. The Cincinnati Reds signed him on April 17, 1995, and he briefly returned to form, batting.286. After Maddux had been pitching for almost ten years, he joined the Phillies on January 30, 1996, where he became the first player to get a grand slam off Greg Maddux in the regular season. In the same season, Santiago also hit a home run in four straight at bats. For the last place Phillies, Santiago finished the season with a career-high 30 home runs and 85 runs batted in.
Santiago then signed a deal with the Blue Jays (1997-1998), where he missed almost the whole 1998 season due to a serious car crash in Florida. He appeared in 89 games for the Cubs in 1999 and 2000 for Cincinnati. He was a free agent for the city of Cincinnati.
Santiago descended on San Francisco on March 17, 2001. He appeared in 133 games and helped the Giants finish in second place, two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West, two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks. With Mark Gardner, he presented the 2001 Willie Mac Award, which celebrated both their spirit and leadership. Santiago had another good year in 2002, playing in 126 games and finishing third among National League catchers with a.995 fielding percentage. With 74 runs batted in, he earned his fifth All-Star berth and finished the season with a.278 batting average and finished second to the Diamondbacks for his fifth season in the National League wild card playoffs.
In the 2002 National League Championship Series, the Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the play-offs before meeting the St. Louis Cardinals. As the Giants defeated the Cardinals in five games, Santiago scored two home runs in the series, as well as six runs batted in. Santiago took 5 runs batted in the 2002 World Series against the Anaheim Angels after the Giants were defeated in a seven-game series.
The 38-year-old Santiago continued to do well in 2003, placing fifth in the batting order behind Barry Bonds, placing fifth in 108 games when his average was.279 runs batted in.
Santiago, a new free agent for the Kansas City Royals on December 11, 2003, was signed by the Kansas City Royals on December 11, 2003. He was hitting.274 with six home runs and 23 RBI by June 18 when he was struck by a pitch from Geoff Geary that broke his hand. The Royals drafted Leo Nez, a minor league pitcher, to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 2004 season. After a mere 23 at-bats in favour of giving playing time to young David Ross, the Pirates allowed Santiago to go. Santiago has signed with the New York Mets to a minor-league deal, but he has appeared in just a handful of games. He opted out of his Triple-A deal but did not play in the major leagues in 2006.
On August 8, 2015, he was inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame.
Career statistics
Santiago played in 1,978 games over his 20-year career, winning 1,830 runs in 6,951 at bats, a.261 career batting average, 217 home runs, and a.307 on-base percentage. He had a.987 fielding percentage at the start of his career.
Santiago, a five-time All-Star, was known for his outstanding defensive skills, leading National League catchers three times in assists, once in fielding percentages, and once in base runners caught stealing. With 1,917, Santiago ranked eighth on the all-time list of games caught with Brad Ausmus as 2010 began.