Pre-2025 Scouting Report
The Toronto Blue Jays signed Dahian Santos out of Acarigua, Venezuela, in July 2019. It was a very slow progress through the minor leagues following his signing and he would not pitch in a minor league game until 2021 as an 18-year-old. When he was finally on the mound, he started most of the games he would play and showed a high propensity for striking out batters. In his first two seasons across the Complex League, Low-A, and High-A, he put up strikeout rates of 33.1% and 38.5%. He was beginning to show the potential to become a major league starting pitcher. Then the classic Blue Jays issue took hold: injuries.

Through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Santos was hampered by injuries, cutting his time and development on the mound over crucial periods. He pitched only 12 games in 2023, with that number rising to 20 games this past season. Unfortunately, almost all those 20 games came out of the bullpen (18), as he managed only 35.2 innings pitched. The biggest positive from last season was he moved on up to Double-A New Hampshire, where he continued having some measure of success striking out mostly older hitters to the tune of a 25.6% strikeout rate. The biggest issue on the mound for him in 2024 and much of his minor league career has come from a high walk rate, topping out at 17% at Double-A. Where Santos is routinely succeeding in the minors has been his ability to limit hits. This past season, he was in the 82nd percentile at Double-A, giving up a batting average of only .175. 

Santos does not have the best fastball, but what truly stands out is his breaking ball and changeup. His repertoire is unique, consisting of a fastball routinely sitting in the 93 MPH range and can top out at 96 MPH. His dominant pitch is a slider in the 81-84 MPH range, which he can throw at times more than his fastball. The slider is the big whiff-inducing pitch with a sharp break. To cap things off, he throws a very solid changeup that can flash as a plus pitch at times, coming in at 83 MPH.

Where Santos goes from here should be clearer in 2025. At the end of 2024, he started a few games again. This coming season, he could get back into the mix as a starting pitcher at Double-A and potentially become more of a factor as a prospect if he remains healthy, adds strength and increases his fastball velocity.

- Daniel Labude