Vital Statistics:
Born: March 13, 1979
Hometown: Tovar Merida, Venezuela
Height: 6-0
Weight: 210
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Family: Wife, Yasmile; daughters Jasmily and Jasmine
Primary position: Starting pitcher
Before The Bigs:
- At age 16 in 1995, Santana was signed by the Houston Astros.
- His career started slowly in the minors, and after he went 8-8 at low-A Michigan in 1999.
- He was selected by the Florida Marlins in the Rule 5 draft in 1999 and was traded to the Minnesota Twins, who had to either keep him on the active major league roster in 2000 or release him.
- In 2000 as a rookie reliever and spot starter, he went 2-3 with a 6.49 ERA.
- Missed most of the 2001 season with an elbow injury and was sent back to Triple-A in 2002, but came back to the majors for good on May 31, 2002 and went 8-6 with a 2.99 ERA.
- Became one of the dominant pitchers in baseball in 2004, going 13-0 in the second half. He finished with a 20-6 record and a 2.61 ERA, winning the AL Cy Young Award.
- Won his second AL Cy Young in 2006, going 19-6 with a 2.77 ERA.
- Led the AL in strikeouts in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
- Won his first Gold Glove in 2007.
- Traded to the New York Mets on Jan. 29, 2008 for a package of prospects, and signed a six-year, $137.5 million contract extension, the largest in baseball history for a pitcher.
