Prospect Santos 'electric' in Spring Breakout start
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Malcolm Moore knew Winston Santos was locked in before he even threw a pitch. In the second annual Spring Breakout game, Santos -- the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- was throwing to Moore, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and highest-ranked catcher. The battery more
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Malcolm Moore knew Winston Santos was locked in before he even threw a pitch.
In the second annual Spring Breakout game, Santos -- the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- was throwing to Moore, the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect and highest-ranked catcher. The battery more than delivered in a 5-5 tie vs. Giants prospects.
Santos cruised through his Spring Breakout start, tossing three perfect frames with six strikeouts: four swinging, one looking and one via pitch timer violation. He threw an efficient 37 pitches, 26 for strikes with 12 whiffs.
“You don't get a guy locked in like that very often,” Moore said. “When you do, you like to catch that. You wish everybody was like that every time, honestly. It's fun, because it doesn't really matter what I put down. He's just going to do it and it's going to get the guy out.
“You could see it when he was warming up. You can kind of just see it in the way it's coming out of his hand, and the way that he’s going about his business and the confidence that he has. It's a whole body confidence. … He was electric.”
When asked if Moore was correct in his assumption, Santos said he did feel locked in because he prepared as well as possible beforehand. He felt ready to do his job from the jump.
“I’ve learned a lot this spring and I’ve been enjoying making adjustments and I'm just ready to go,” Santos said through interpreter Nick Janssen. “I made some small changes to improve my control [last season] and I just enjoy the game. I just want to keep learning. Those adjustments helped me. I just want to keep building and getting better.”
His professional debut was delayed due to the pandemic, but there were high expectations both internally and externally. He threw just 33 innings in 2021 before posting a 3.49 ERA in 108 1/3 innings with Single-A Down East in 2022.
Santos is part of the latest crop of Rangers pitching prospects looking to turn the tide on the organizational perception regarding pitching development.
There’s Cody Bradford, who ingrained himself in the big league rotation before an injury this spring, the Vandy Boys duo of Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker knocking on the door as we speak, and then Santos and Emiliano Teodo -- who cleaned up a bases-loaded jam in relief in Spring Breakout -- headlining the next group of homegrown starting pitchers.
“We've talked a lot about our pitching pipeline, our pitching development practices, and we're not all the way there yet,” general manager Ross Fenstermaker said earlier this week. “We feel like we've created quite a decent-sized group in terms of guys that can come up and help contribute here in the near future. I feel like in some ways, [Teodo] has become too famous with what he's done here in camp, and Winston is right behind him as well.”
Santos was signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in the Rangers’ 2019-20 international class, and it’s been an improbable rise and fall and rise again for him in the following years.
But then he struggled to a 6.29 ERA in 98 2/3 innings with High-A Hickory in 2024 before finally showing his full potential in 2024.
He boasted a 3.67 ERA between Hickory and Double-A Frisco last season, leading the farm in wins (11) and strikeouts (138 in 110 1/3 innings). He pitched in the All-Star Futures Game and was added to the Rangers’ 40-man roster this offseason.
Frisco manager Carlos Cardoza, who also managed the Spring Breakout game, raved about Santos last season and is even higher on the 22-year-old now.
“I see an electric fastball and improvement in his secondary stuff,” Cardoza said. “Once he was able to get the slider underneath the bats, it just kind of took off from there. That's between the lines. I think what stood out the most was his professionalism and how steadfast and committed he was to his routine and his body and his work between starts.”
“We’re seeing all see the fruits of the labor that's been put in the last couple of years and the kind of synergy that exists between the different departments [in pitching development]. Ross has said it: It’s not a finished product by any means, but it's certainly a bright spot with what the system is doing.”
Columbus Clingstones Announce Promotional Schedule for Inaugural Season at Synovus Park
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Clingstones announced today the Promotional Schedule for their highly anticipated inaugural season. A promotion-packed schedule of 69 home games at Synovus Park will feature giveaways, theme nights, special appearances, fireworks shows, and weekly promotions to deliver a fresh yet familiar experience for fans all season.
Columbus Clingstones Enter Into Flagship Media Partnership With PMB Broadcasting
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Clingstones today announced a media partnership with PMB Broadcasting, confirming that all 138 Clingstones inaugural season games, home and road, will be broadcast on Sports Visions Radio 92.1 FM, part of the PMB Broadcasting family of stations. “We are honored to be the flagship media
Clingstones Announce Public Address Announcer Tryouts on March 16
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Columbus Clingstones announced today that the club will host closed tryouts to select their first-ever Public Address Announcer. The tryouts will take place on March 16 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Burger King Stadium at Ragsdale Field on the campus of Columbus State University.
Clingstones announce Fuzzy's Kids Club presented by Chick-fil-A
Columbus, GA - The Columbus Clingstones and Chick-fil-A have teamed up to introduce a new program for the burgeoning team’s youngest fans: Fuzzy’s Kids Club presented by Chick-fil-A! Children ages 5-12 can join this exclusive club, which allows them free admission to all Sunday games and several other special perks.
Clingstones Announce Inaugural 2025 Season Coaching Staff
Columbus, GA - In conjunction with the Atlanta Braves, the Columbus Clingstones today announced the team’s coaching staff for the Inaugural 2025 season at Synovus Park. Cody Gabella will become the first manager in Clingstones history. Entering his fourth season as a manager in the Braves system, last season Gabella
Columbus Clingstones Announce Fuzzy as Official Name of Mascot
Columbus, GA (November 20, 2024) – The Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, are excited to announce Fuzzy as the new name of its first team mascot. Outfitted with a Clingstones jersey, friendly smile and vibrant peach color, the cheerful mascot embodies the team’s pride with a
Columbus Clingstones Launch 'Crown the Clingstone' Contest
Columbus, GA (October 29, 2024) – The Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, are excited to announce the ‘Crown the Clingstone’ contest, asking fans to help choose the name of the team’s cheerful mascot ahead of its inaugural 2025 season. Inspired by Minor League Baseball’s rich tradition
Clingstones announce game times for 2025 season
Columbus, GA – The Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, have announced their game times for the Inaugural 2025 season. The Clingstones will play 69 home games at Synovus Park beginning with the Opening Day on Tuesday, April 15 at 7:05 pm against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos,
Inaugural Opening Night for Columbus Professional Baseball set for April 15, 2025, at Synovus Park
In conjunction with Minor League Baseball, the Columbus Professional Baseball Club has announced their home game schedule for the inaugural 2025 Southern League season. The Atlanta Braves Double-A franchise is scheduled to begin their 2025 campaign on the road before opening night at Synovus Park on Tuesday, April 15, 2025,
Columbus celebrates the next century of affiliated baseball, inks naming rights deal with Synovus
Columbus, GA – Synovus, a financial services leader rooted in Columbus, has signed a multiyear partnership with Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), the owner and operator of select Minor League clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball, to become the official naming rights partner for Columbus’ soon-to-be-renovated ballpark. A consortium of public-private
M-Braves announce move to Columbus, Georgia
The Mississippi Braves, Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate, announced Tuesday that they will relocate to Columbus, Ga., following the 2024 season. The Southern League franchise, commonly referred to as the M-Braves, have played at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., since 2005. Previously owned by the Atlanta Braves, the M-Braves were purchased by
The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from June
Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The June edition features a doubles deluge, oppositional surnames, way too many walks and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get in touch if
Hackenberg stacks up MiLB season-high 16 K's
Fresh off the All-Star break, Drue Hackenberg showed off his Sunday best. The Braves' No. 9 prospect struck out 16 -- the most K's in any Minor League Baseball game this season -- over seven innings in Double-A Mississippi's 5-1 win over Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Hackenberg bested the
M-Braves offer safe haven for Miss Rankin County
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. For David Kerr, working in Minor League Baseball means keeping the following mantra in mind:
Road trip: All roads lead Ben to Rome
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. The following ballpark road trip recap is presented by Wyndham, proud sponsor of Minor League
Waldrep strikes out 11 in return to Gwinnett
Two batters into the first Triple-A start of the season for Hurston Waldrep, it looked like it would be a day to forget. Five innings later, that could not have been further from the truth. The Braves' No. 2 prospect, who made one start at Triple-A Gwinnett last September, fanned
M-Braves' new dynamic duo twirls pair of gems
If Wednesday night's Mississippi doubleheader is any indication, the future on the Braves' hill looks scary good. As in the opposition should be scared. Two of Atlanta's top three prospects, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach, dominated their respective starts en route to the Double-A Braves' sweep of visiting Biloxi at
The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from May
Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the month of May, features reptile cameos, offensive explosions, oppositional surnames and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get in touch
The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from the past month
After a multi-season hiatus, Crooked Numbers returns with a heaping portion of Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the start of the season through the end of April, has a disproportionate number of items from the Triple-A level. As for why that is, who knows? Maybe