Johan Santana Height: How tall is Johan Santana?

Johan Alexander Santana was born on March 13, 1979, and is a Venezuelan former professional baseball starting pitcher.

Santana pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins from 2000 to 2007 and for the New York Mets from 2008 to 2012.

A two-time Cy Young Award winner with the Twins, Santana is a four-time All-Star and earned a pitching triple crown in 2006.

On June 1, 2012, Santana pitched the first no-hitter in New York Mets history against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Santana was discovered in 1994 by Andres Reiner, who was a scout working for the Houston Astros at the time. Santana’s parents agreed to let him attend Houston’s academy in Valencia.

PHOTO CREDIT:
The Cold Wire

When Astros scouting director Dan O’Brien called Reiner and asked if he had signed Santana to a contract, Reiner reported that he was still deciding if Santana was a better prospect as an outfielder or a pitcher.

After six weeks of training, Santana was told he was going to pitch. Santana did not like it and almost left, but Reiner convinced him to stay. While originally a center fielder, Santana was converted to a pitcher at the academy due to his arm speed.

In 1999 he was named the Tovar Mérida Athlete of the Year.