Alimber Santa #72

Signed a Minor League contract with the Houston Astros when he was 16 years old on Feb. 28, 2020, the final player signed for the team's 2019-20 international class...was signed by Astros scouts Alfredo Ulloa and Hassan Wessin...Has a lightning-fast arm that generates fastballs that reach triple digits with riding action...works in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph even when he dials his velocity back to throw more strikes...Has a tight mid-80s slider as a solid second pitch with an upper-70s curveball...also mixes in a mid-80s changeup...Former Astros Senior Director of Player Development Jacob Buffa has compared his ceiling to Astros set-up man Bryan Abreu...His hometown of Azua put the 2025 Futures game on a big screen in the park to watch Santa pitch...resides there in the offseason...called Azua a "healthy, wholesome environment surrounded by many baseball players and many good people."...Azua is also where Astros catcher Yainer Diaz was born and raised, and where he currently resides in the offseason...the two knew each other before they both ended up in the Astros organization together and they live close to each other in the offseason...Looks up to other Dominican pitchers like Pedro Martínez...has stated he would like to shake his hand and ask for advice on his career...Attending his first Major League Spring Training with the Astros as a non-roster invitee...is under a Minor League contract through the 2026 season.

2025

Began the 2025 season off at Double-A Corpus Christi, where he was impressive in 31 relief appearances for the Hooks...pitched to a 1.26 ERA (8 ER/57 IP) with 63 strikeouts, a 1.02 WHIP and a .176 opponent batting average...named the Astros Upper-Level Minor League Pitcher of the Month for the month of May after pitching 0.96 ERA (2 ER/18.2 IP) with a 1.61 opponent batting average...was promoted to Triple-A on July 29 and pitched in 15 games for a 6.92 ERA (10 ER/13.0 IP)…named a Texas League Post-Season All-Star after a splendid first half in Corpus Christi.

2024

Started the 2024 season on the injured list and made only six appearances with Single-A Fayetteville before being promoted to Double-A Corpus on June 24 and finishing the season off there.

2023

Spent all of 2023 with Single-A Fayetteville, making 26 appearances and 14 starts...went 3-9 with a 5.98 ERA across a career-high 87.1 innings.