Bats Both, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 150 lb.
Debut May 17, 2002
Born August 31, 1979 in Las Matas de Farfan, D.R.
Signed by Ramon Pena of the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1998. Santiago was 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 17, 2002, with the Detroit Tigers.
Ramon was traded to Seattle with Juan Gonzalez (infielder) from Detroit in exchange for Carlos Guillen (infielder), January 8, 2004.
In January 2006, Ramon was signed to a minor league contract by the Detroit Tigers and was invited to their Spring Training camp. He made the team and has been with the Detroit Tiger organization since then.
Career Highlights:
1999:
Split first pro season between Gulf Coast Tigers and Single-A Oneonta...combined to hit .326, second best among short-season league switch-hitters and fourth-best among short-season league shortstops...led Gulf Coast Tigers with 20 stolen bases...posted a 12-game hit streak July 7-27, batting .400 (20x50) with four doubles, a triple and four RBI...hit safely in 11 of his first 12 games with Oneonta Aug. 22-Sept. 2...Named the second-best prospect in the Gulf Coast League following the season by Baseball America.
2000:
Earned both mid- and postseason all-star honors in the Midwest League while playing with single-A West Michigan...forced to serve as the designated hitter after July 23 due to an impingement in his right shoulder...sidelined for most of August with the injury, which ultimately forced him to undergo surgery in the off-season...named the best defensive shortstop in the Midwest League by Baseball America.
2001:
Limited to serving as designated hitter while recovering from off-season surgery on his right shoulder...finished fourth in the Florida State League with 34 stolen bases...recorded a season-best 10-game hitting streak July 21-August 4, batting .395 (15x38) with five runs, two doubles and four RBI.
2002:
Made stops at double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo before having his contract purchased by Detroit on May 17...made ML debut May 17 versus Texas and doubled off Dave Burba in the eighth inning for the first ML hit...had a career-high three hits May 18 vs. Texas, falling a home run shy of the cycle...hit his first ML home run to lead off the game June 3 vs. Boston (off Pedro Martinez); finished with two home runs for his first multi-home run game...led off the game the following day, June 4, against Boston with a home run (off John Burkett)...departed the game July 23 vs. Kansas City in the third inning with a right wrist injury...placed on the DL on July 24 with a fractured right hamate bone; underwent surgery on July 25...returned Sept. 1...scratched from the lineup Sept. 21 versus New York with soreness in his right wrist; was shut down for the remainder of the season…underwent surgery to correct chronic dislocation and looseness in his left shoulder, by Dr. Kyle Anderson on Sept. 26 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit...ranked among AL rookie leaders in three categories; tied for second with five triples, tied for fourth with eight stolen bases and ninth with a .306 on-base percentage...
one of four unanimous selections to the TOPPS Rookie All-Star team.
2003:
Spent first full season in the Majors, beginning the year as Detroit's starting second baseman...Topped the AL with 18 sacrifices, the most by anyone since 1996...... established a career high with an eight game hitting streak April 6-16, batting .360 (9x25) with three doubles and four RBI...started his first game at shortstop in Colorado after 50 starts at second base...strung together 218 errorless chances at shortstop June 30-Aug. 27...established a career high with four RBI on September 18 vs. Toronto.
The Mariners acquired Santiago from the Detroit Tigers in the trade for shortstop Carlos Guillen in 2003. Santiago was the starting shortstop for the Tigers. His manager was Alan Trammell, a former All-Star shortstop. Ramon: "Every day he would tell you to be relaxed, to be sure and steady, remind you that when you play short you are the leader of the infield."
Ramon Led the American League in Sacrifice Hits in 2003!
Ramon is selected as the Pacific Coast League (AAA) Second Baseman of the Year for 2005. He is also chosen as the MVP for the 2005 Division Champion Tacoma Rainiers (AAA-Seattle), playing both Shortstop and Second Base. He is also awarded the team's "Gold Glove" award.
2006
Ramon is selected to the Detroit Tiger's 25 man roster after 2006 Spring Training. He was a utility fielder mainly playing at shortstop and second base with occasion starts at third base and appearances as DH. Ramon was moved down to the AAA Toledo Mudhens later in the season and back up to Detroit when the roster was expanded to 40 players in September. During the American League Championship series against Oakland first baseman Sean Casey was injured. Carlos Guillen was moved to first base and Ramon was brought in to play shortstop during the ALCS. Ramon started Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2006 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at shortstop and made several substitute appearances later in the Series.
2007
Ramon had a strong Spring Training but due to Neifi Perez' $ 3 million salary obligation from the Tigers and the fact that Ramon had one option remaining, Ramon was sent to the AAA Toledo Mudhens at the end of Spring Training. He continued to play there everyday, batting leadoff at shortstop until he was called up to Detroit on August 17th, 2007 when Omar Infante was sent down to Toledo. From August 17th through September 30th Ramon played in 31 games for the Tigers (he started 17 games), ending up with a .284 batting average and a .324 OBP in 67 At Bats. He committed 2 errors on 93 chances, ending up with a .978 fielding average.
On November 10th, 2007, Ramon was signed to a one year contract with the Tigers worth $575,000. Omar Infante was traded to the Chicago Cubs (later traded to the Atlanta Braves) and Neifi Perez was not resigned by the Tigers. The Tigers traded for Braves shortstop Edgar Renteria and moved Carlos Guillen to first base, so Ramon will be the number one backup at shortstop for the Tigers in 2008. Of course, Ramon could also easily fill in at second base and third base, as needed.
2008
Ramon played winter ball in the Dominican Republic for the Escogido Leones. He played a considerable amount at Third Base. On Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2008 he married Andreina Cabo. In Spring Training, his off-seaons workout regime paid off as his hitting ability greatly improved to go along with his outstanding defensive skills. Early in Spring Training, Manager Jim Leyland informed the press that Ramon would be the #1 utility fielder on the Tigers and would be heading to Detroit after Spring Training concluded. Ramon finished Spring Training batting .366 with a team-leading .469 OBP and played defense without an error.
Ramon's Final 2008 Spring Training stats:
BA: 366
AB: 41
H:15
2B: 4
RBI: 3
R: 4
G: 25
OBP:
.469
SH:
3
Ramon continued to play the major utility player role for the Detroit Tigers in the 2008 season. He's led the team in On Base Percentage for most of the year while playing Shortstop, Second Base and Third Base.
2009
Ramon had another strong performance at the Tiger spring training camp in Lakeland, Florida. The Tiger’s signed shortstop Adam Everett during the off season so Ramon has ended up platooning with Everett at shortstop during the 2009 season. By the end of May, Ramon racked up 20 RBIs, fifth on the Tigers in run production. Ramon ended up tied for 8th in the American League Sacrifice Hits leaders:
ANOTHER FACT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT RAMON...HIS FIRST MLB HOME RUN MADE HISTORY!
June 3rd, 2002: Playing for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, in just his second game as a leadoff man, Ramon Santiago became the first player since July 28, 2000 (Terrence Long) to lead off a game with a home run against the great Pedro Martinez.
"I've never had a chance to meet him," Martinez said afterward of his fellow Dominican. "He's too young. He's not my era. I'm an old goat."
But old and young goats alike would have had trouble envisioning what Santiago kicked off with that home run.
The next hitter, Damion Easley, also homered. It was the first time the first two hitters of any game had ever gone deep on Pedro -- and, in fact, the first time he'd ever allowed back-to-back home runs at any point to two American League players.
But even that wasn't the end of all this. Later in the game, Santiago -- who had hit seven homers in his entire minor-league career -- homered again, off Tim Wakefield.
"I looked at Felipe (Alou, the Tigers' bench coach)," Tigers manager Luis Pujols told Booth Newspapers' Danny Knobler, "and said, 'All those people in the sports books in the Dominican are broke tonight.' "
Well, we hope they rode the hot hand, because the next night, Santiago led off a second straight game with a home run, this time off John Burkett. According to David Vincent of the Society for American Baseball Research, Santiago achieved the following:
•
He became the first Tiger to hit the first three homers of his career within a two-game span. He's the 15th big leaguer to do it, and the first since Pittsburgh infielder Freddy Garcia in 1997• He became the third Tiger to hit first-inning leadoff homers in consecutive games.
The others were Dick McAuliffe in 1969 and Lou Whitaker in 1983. Rookie Ramon Santiago wrote the script for quite a story he can pass down to his future generations. ... He hit his first major league home run against three-time Cy Young winner in Pedro Martinez. ... Tigers manager Luis Pujols was impressed. "I know that our country was watching this game tonight on TV and everybody saw Santiago hit his first major league home run against Pedro Martinez," said Pujols.
FOR COMPLETE STATS ON RAMON'S BASEBALL CAREER, VISIT THIS WEBSITE:
