Santiago, Benito R.
Baseball
b. March 9, 1965, Ponce, PR
Santiago joined the San Diego Padres late in the 1986 season and became the team's starting catcher in 1987. He was named rookie of the year after batting .300 with 18 home runs, 79 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. He had a 34-game hitting streak that season, the National League record for a rookie and the major league record for a catcher.
That was the best offensive season of his career. His batting average has ranged from .230 to .286 since then, but his exceptionally strong arm, which allows him to throw to bases while on his knees, has made him a standout on defense.
Criticized by some for making too many pickoff throws, Santiago has led the league's catchers in errors five times and he was the assist leader at the position with 75 in 1988 and 100 in 1991. He won Gold Gloves three years in a row, 1988 through 1990.
After missing parts of the 1990 and 1992 seasons with injury, Santiago signed with the Florida Marlins as a free agent in 1993. Since then, he's played for seven other major-league teams, including two stints with the Cincinnati Reds.
During spring training of 1998, Santiago was badly injured in an auto accident, suffering a fractured vertebra and head injuries. He played in only 15 games for the Toronto Blue Jays that year.
But he was starting again, with the Chicago Cubs, in 1999. He spent the following season with Cincinnati and then joined the San Francisco Giants as a free agent. He was named the MVP of the 2002 National League Championship, when he hit .300 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI in five games. His two-run home run in the eighth inning won Game 4 for the Giants.
After three seasons with San Francisco, Santiago went to the Kansas City Royals as a free agent in 2004. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the season. The Pirates waived him in May 2005 and Santiago signed a minor-league contract with the New York Mets.