Santo Manzanillo

Who is Santo Manzanillo?

Santo Manzanillo is a Dominican professional baseball player. He plays for the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League.

Manzanillo grew up in Santo Domingo. He worked on his uncle's farm, where they grew sugar cane. When he was 16 years old, scouts for the Milwaukee Brewers approached him about trying out. Manzanillo initially declined, but was convinced to try out by his family. The scouts helped tutor Manzanillo in pitching, and after he pitched in an exhibition game, the Brewers offered Manzanillo a contract.

Manzanillo moved to Arizona in 2006 to work out at the Brewers' training facility. Though he could throw with great velocity, he had difficulty throwing strikes. Pitching for the Arizona Brewers of the Rookie-level Arizona League, Manzanillo issued 47 walks in 16 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched. He worked to decrease his walk rate.

Manzanillo did not pitch in 2009 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. In 2011, he pitched for the Brevard County Manatees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, and received a midseason promotion to the Huntsville Stars of the Class AA Southern League. On the season, he had a 1.75 earned run average and 17 saves.