Dennis Santana

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #19 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Santana signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop in 2012 but converted to pitching one year later. He vaulted up the minors as a starter and reached the majors as a reliever. After brief stints with the Dodgers in 2018 and 2019, Santana made 15 relief appearances in 2020. He struck out more than a batter per inning and his 5.29 ERA was inflated by one bad outing.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Santana has loud stuff with a ton of natural movement. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and touches 97 mph with huge sink and run. The pitch moves so much Santana struggles to command it, however, especially to his glove-side. Santana throws his mid-80s slider with big, late drop more often than his fastball. It's a swing and miss offering, but he's also prone to leaving it over the heart of the plate. Santana throws his above-average, 86-89 mph changeup with fade to lefties and gets a lot of chase swings.
  
  THE FUTURE: Santana will be part of the Dodgers bullpen in 2021. He'll have to harness his command to be trusted in high leverage spots.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #11 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Santana signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop but converted to pitching after his first season. He earned All-Star honors in the low Class A Midwest League in 2016 and high Class A California League in 2017 before making his major league debut in 2018. Santana began 2019 in Triple-A expecting to be one of the Dodgers' first callups, but his fastball command disappeared and he spent the entire year at Oklahoma City.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Santana is a long, lanky righthander with lively stuff. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and touches 97 mph with huge sink and run, and his mid-80s slider has developed into a plus pitch he can throw for strikes or expand the zone with. His upper 80s changeup has also flashed plus when he has a feel for it. Santana generates so much movement on his pitches he struggles to locate them and he started nibbling as his struggles mounted in 2019. He regained his aggressiveness after a late move to the bullpen and posted a 1.72 ERA in relief, compared to 8.00 as a starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Santana's probability of starting has declined, but he has the stuff to be an impact, late game reliever. He should return to the majors in 2020.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #7 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Santana, whose basketball-loving father named him after Dennis Rodman, signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop for $170,000 but converted to pitching after his first season. The lanky righthander took to pitching quickly, earning all-star honors in the Midwest League in 2016 and California League in 2017 before shooting through Double-A and Triple-A up to the majors in 2018. Santana earned the win his major league debut on June 1 and was set to make his first start on June 7, but was scratched with a strained rotator cuff and missed the rest of the season.
  
  Scouting Report: The long-limbed Santana whips his arm around his body out of a low slot to create a potent combination of deception, velocity and movement. His fastball sits 93-95 mph and touches 97 with significant sink and run, handcuffing righthanded batters and occasionally busting his catcher's thumb. It's a plus offering, but its premium movement also makes the pitch difficult to command. Santana's above-average 82-85 mph slider is effective against righties but runs into the barrel against lefties, so the continued improvement of his 85-87 mph changeup will be key. It flashes average and Santana is confident throwing it.
  
  The Future: Santana's has the stuff and track record to start, but his arm slot and resulting suspect command have most evaluators preferring him in the bullpen, where he has closer upside.
• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #10 prospect in 2018
  The Dodgers signed Santana for $170,000 as a shortstop out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, but they moved him to the mound after he hit .198 in the Dominican Summer League in his first year. Santana took time learning how to pitch but blossomed the last two seasons, earning all-star honors in both the Midwest and California leagues and reaching Double-A Tulsa by age 21. Santana found his niche as a sinkerballer and has developed the pitch into a borderline plus-plus offering. He sits 94-95 mph and reaches 97 as a starter, frequently busting his catcher's thumbs with his life on the pitch. His late life often fools minor league umpires, too. Santana is still learning to harness the movement on his fastball, leading to an elevated walk rate. His slider is above-average but wasn't effective against lefthanders, so the improvement of his changeup in 2017 was critical. By the end of the year it was flashing average with increased consistency. Santana has the loose arm and athleticism of a starter, but his arm slot and cross-body delivery more resemble a reliever. His improved changeup gives him a better chance to start.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Santana signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop in 2012 but converted to pitching one year later. He vaulted up the minors as a starter and reached the majors as a reliever. After brief stints with the Dodgers in 2018 and 2019, Santana made 15 relief appearances in 2020. He struck out more than a batter per inning and his 5.29 ERA was inflated by one bad outing.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Santana has loud stuff with a ton of natural movement. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and touches 97 mph with huge sink and run. The pitch moves so much Santana struggles to command it, however, especially to his glove-side. Santana throws his mid-80s slider with big, late drop more often than his fastball. It's a swing and miss offering, but he's also prone to leaving it over the heart of the plate. Santana throws his above-average, 86-89 mph changeup with fade to lefties and gets a lot of chase swings.
  
  THE FUTURE: Santana will be part of the Dodgers bullpen in 2021. He'll have to harness his command to be trusted in high leverage spots.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Santana signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop in 2012 but converted to pitching one year later. He vaulted up the minors as a starter and reached the majors as a reliever. After brief stints with the Dodgers in 2018 and 2019, Santana made 15 relief appearances in 2020. He struck out more than a batter per inning and his 5.29 ERA was inflated by one bad outing.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Santana has loud stuff with a ton of natural movement. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and touches 97 mph with huge sink and run. The pitch moves so much Santana struggles to command it, however, especially to his glove-side. Santana throws his mid-80s slider with big, late drop more often than his fastball. It's a swing and miss offering, but he's also prone to leaving it over the heart of the plate. Santana throws his above-average, 86-89 mph changeup with fade to lefties and gets a lot of chase swings.
  
  THE FUTURE: Santana will be part of the Dodgers bullpen in 2021. He'll have to harness his command to be trusted in high leverage spots.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Santana signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop but converted to pitching after his first season. He earned All-Star honors in the low Class A Midwest League in 2016 and high Class A California League in 2017 before making his major league debut in 2018. Santana began 2019 in Triple-A expecting to be one of the Dodgers’ first callups, but his fastball command disappeared and he spent the entire year at Oklahoma City.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Santana is a long, lanky righthander with lively stuff. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and touches 97 mph with huge sink and run, and his mid-80s slider has developed into a plus pitch he can throw for strikes or expand the zone with. His upper 80s changeup has also flashes plus when he has a feel for it. Santana generates so much movement on his pitches he struggles to locate them, however, and he started nibbling as his struggles mounted in 2019. He regained his aggressiveness after a late move to the bullpen and posted a 1.72 ERA in relief, compared to 8.00 as a starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Santana’s probability of starting has declined, but he has the stuff to be an impact, lategame reliever. He should return to the majors in 2020.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Santana signed with the Dodgers as a shortstop but converted to pitching after his first season. He earned All-Star honors in the low Class A Midwest League in 2016 and high Class A California League in 2017 before making his major league debut in 2018. Santana began 2019 in Triple-A expecting to be one of the Dodgers' first callups, but his fastball command disappeared and he spent the entire year at Oklahoma City.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Santana is a long, lanky righthander with lively stuff. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and touches 97 mph with huge sink and run, and his mid-80s slider has developed into a plus pitch he can throw for strikes or expand the zone with. His upper 80s changeup has also flashed plus when he has a feel for it. Santana generates so much movement on his pitches he struggles to locate them and he started nibbling as his struggles mounted in 2019. He regained his aggressiveness after a late move to the bullpen and posted a 1.72 ERA in relief, compared to 8.00 as a starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Santana's probability of starting has declined, but he has the stuff to be an impact, late game reliever. He should return to the majors in 2020.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Santana jumped from Double-A to Triple-A to the majors in two months before a rotator cuff strain put him on the 60-day disabled list. His sinker/slider combination was already excellent, and the improvement of his changeup sent him skyrocketing. Santana’s control also got better after he moved from the third base to first base of the rubber to improve his direction to the plate. He still projects as a reliever for some, but his changeup development and control strides give him a better chance to remain a starter.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Dodgers signed Santana for $170,000 as a shortstop out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, but they moved him to the mound after he hit .198 in the Dominican Summer League. Santana took time learning how to pitch but blossomed the last two seasons, earning all-star honors in both the Midwest and California leagues and reaching Double-A Tulsa by age 21. Scouting Report: Santana found his niche as a sinkerballer and has developed the pitch into a borderline plus-plus offering. He sits 94-95 mph and reaches 97 as a starter, frequently busting his catcher's thumbs with his life on the pitch. His late life often fools minor league umpires, too. Santana is still learning to harness the movement on his fastball, leading to an elevated walk rate. His slider is above-average but wasn't effective against lefthanders, so the improvement of his changeup in 2017 was critical. By the end of the year it was flashing average with increased consistency. The Future: Santana has the loose arm and athleticism of a starter, but his three-quarters arm slot and cross-body delivery more resemble a reliever. His improved changeup gives him a better chance to start.