Bio

Trae Santos, 25, enters his first year with Gateway in 2018. (Pronounced "SAHN-tos" — "SAHN" rhymes with "Ron.")

A powerful first baseman, Santos last played in 2016 as a member of the San Diego Padres organization — he split his 2016 season between the Class A-Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm (California League) and the Double-A San Antonio Missions (Texas League).

The Barrigada, Guam, native previously slashed .264/.359/.455 (.814 OPS) in 2015 with the Class-A Fort Wayne TinCaps (Midwest League). He hit 14 home runs and drove in 60 runs in 130 games.

Santos was originally drafted by San Diego in the 17th round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Troy University. He slashed .300/.382/.612 (.994 OPS) with 18 homers and 70 RBIs (in 62 games) in his lone year as a Trojan, playing in the competitive Sun Belt Conference. Santos began his collegiate career with two seasons at Northwest Florida State College.