Bronx teen taken by Houston Astros
in second round of MLB Draft
BY JASON COHEN
Alex Santos, a fl amethrower
from Morrisania, just saw his
dream come true as he was
drafted by the Houston Astros
in the second round of the MLB
Draft.
He was the 72nd pick and was
ranked No. 56 on the Top 200
Draft Prospects list. This was a
compensation pick for the Astros,
and coincidentally, it was for Gerrit
Cole, who the Yankees drafted
in 2008.
He was accepted to Maryland
University, but said he is leaning
towards going pro.
“I’m really excited,” an emotional
Santos said to the Bronx
Times. “I can’t wait to get out
there and put the Astros jersey
on. It’s something I’ve wanted my
whole life.”
Mount Senior Alex Santos
drafted by the Houston Astros
with the 72nd pick in the 2020
MLB Draft pic.twitter.com/S1QTb2qTil
— MOUNT BASEBALL (@
mountbaseball) June 11, 2020
Santos, 17, is a senior at
Mount Saint Michael Academy
at 4300 Murdock Ave. His fastball
tops out at 95 mph, he has a nasty
slider and mixes in a changeup
and two seam curveball. He also
was a 2019 all American classic
player.
While he has committed to
Maryland, he now has the chance
to go pro. With a “bulldog” mentality,
modeling himself after
Cy Young winner Washington
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer
and New York Mets hurler Marcus
Stroman, he is ready for the
next level.
“It’s amazing because I’ve
worked my whole life to be able
to do something like that,” Santos
said.
Santos began playing baseball
at age 5 and quickly knew
he belonged on the diamond. His
father Alex also played and the
sport brought them closer.
Over the years they bonded
over America’s pastime. Alex
taught his son about hitting, fi elding
and mechanics. But more importantly,
Santos always worked
hard and was dedicated to mastering
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BRONX TIMES R 22 EPORTER, JUNE 19-25, 2020 BTR
his craft and improving
his skills.
“I’ve always loved baseball,”
Santos said. “Baseball was super
fun for me.”
He started pitching at
10-years-old, but played other positions
until this past season. Going
into his junior year, scouts
came to see him and he quickly
realized he had a future on the
mound.
According to Santos, he always
had a strong arm. And with
the help of his high school coach,
Walter Stampfel, and trainer for
many years, Melvin Perez, he
learned how to dominate opposing
batters, throw inside and control
a game. In fact, he notched 18
strikeouts in a game last year.
Besides being a hard-nosed
and feared pitcher, keeping his
composure is a huge part of baseball,
he explained. If he gives up a
run or two, he knows he needs to
buckle down and keep his head in
the game, otherwise he’s done.
“Over the years I learned you
have to hold down and battle,” he
remarked.
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Alex Santos of Morrisania, was taken by the Astros in the MLB Draft
Photo Courtesy Alex Santos
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