Santora to coach for Angels affiliate
Monterey High grad rejoins minors after the pandemic
>> Flexibility to adapt to the moment has enabled Jack Santora to put together a 25-plus-year professional baseball career as a player and now a minor league coach in the Los Angeles Angels farm system.
The dreaded tap on the shoulder that Santora felt on more than one occasion during his playing days in the minor leagues only fueled his fire and motivation during a 17-year playing career.
Yet, promotions as a coach have been consistent in the Angels organization — that is until the pandemic struck last year, and the Monterey High graduate found himself furloughed.
“I never believed that I wouldn’t be back,” Santora said. “But you wonder if you did something wrong. I have felt like I’ve brought some good ideas to the organization.”
Being unemployed was brief as the 44-year-old former shortstop was brought back in November. His role, however, as a manager for the Angels Inland Empire High-A franchise was gone. With minor league baseball going through a reconfiguration, the California League was disbanded. Inland Empire is now a Low-A franchise.
Instead, the former 1999 Diamondbacks 19th-round draft choice was offered a position as a defensive coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Angels High-A affiliate this spring in Pasco, Washington.
“In the middle of a pandemic, you’re not going to turn down anything,” Santora said. “The Angels didn’t make it sound like a demotion. I was the most flexible. I can adjust my role.”
Santora, though, made it no secret that he wants to be managing again at some point, as he had managed at two different levels in the two years prior to the pandemic.
“I love managing because everything is underneath your control,” Santora said. “Is it different than being a coach? Not really. I feel this was more of a technicality where the Angels needed a role filled.”
One that Santora excels at. It was his glove that enabled him to reach the Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate as a player, extending his career for a decade in Italy, playing on three World Baseball Classic teams.
Santora only enhanced his stock in the offseason when he worked with shortstop Jose Rojas before the start of spring training. The 25-year-old made the Angels opening day roster.
“He sent me a text thanking me that he made the team,” Santora said. “I told him I wish I was a fly on the wall when he found out. All we’re doing is helping kids. That’s what makes it worthwhile.”
With the minor league season canceled last year, Santora kept busy by working with Baseball Factory, a company that hosts events for high school baseball players around the country in Arizona — usually in the fall.
With high school athletics all but shut down last spring and summer throughout the country, Arizona had stayed open during the pandemic, enabling Baseball Factory to host tournaments or clinics.
“We provide instruction and guidance, provide an idea of what level players are at,” Santora said. “It was a way to stay busy and help kids. I usually do three in the offseason. I think we did eight or nine.”
Yet, it didn’t change the fact that for the first time since Santora was earning All-Central Coast Section honors at Monterey High, he wasn’t at the ballpark on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or the Fourth of July.
“I had a coach over for dinner the other night,” Santora said. “He said he hasn’t thrown a baseball in over a year. I don’t think I missed it as much as others because I stayed involved.”
Santora, though, is ready to get back to putting on a uniform and helping groom minor league prospects into big leaguers.
COVID-19 testing for Tri-City will take place this weekend, with pitchers and catchers reporting on April 4 in Tempe. All players are expected to be in camp by April 8.
“The first workout is slated for Easter Sunday,” Santora said. “We’ll be in Tempe for just 21 days before embarking on a 120-game season. Honestly, I have never been to Pasco.”
The hope is minor league stops are brief, whether it’s as a player or coach. Santora has climbed the ladder since ending his career in Italy in 2016, having advanced three levels in the Angels organization in five years.
“The ultimate goal is to win a championship in the big leagues,” Santora said. “That’s what I want to be a part of. That’s been the goal since I was drafted out of college.”
A teammate at UCLA with former major leaguers Troy Glaus and Eric Brynes, Santora tolled around the minor leagues with eight teams, playing with Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson in Newark in the independent Atlantic League.
Overcoming adversity with a refusal to give up on a dream has enabled Santora to build a lot of connections in baseball.
Former Oakland Athletics infielder and current Angels bench coach Mike Gallego hired Santora after he retired as a player. The two communicate regularly, swapping thoughts and ideas.
“I feel like I have brought a lot of ideas to this organization,” Santora said. “I do feel like my visions are listened to and explored. I feel I’ve built good connections and trust with the Angels. I hope it continues.”
While managing is something Santora has gravitated toward with success, the goal is to land a coaching job in the major leagues at any capacity.
“Do I see myself as a big-league manager? Sure. A coach? Absolutely,” Santora said. “You don’t know where you are going to fit in. Being fluid and flexible and putting on different hats can only help.”