Will Santiago’s Small Splash Resonate?

Though he’s only seen two games worth of Big League action – just prior to this year’s All-Star break, Hector Santiago‘s first go-round in the Majors was a success, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings, yielding only a hit and a walk.

Santiago debuted with a scoreless inning of work at the tail end of a 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals on July 6, then came back the next day to help mop up the beginning of the end of Philip Humber‘s resurgence, tossing 4 1/3 shutout frames after Humber was lit up for six runs and 11 hits over just 3 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins.

Though he was impressive, you aren’t much use to a team in need of bullpen help after you throw 4-plus innings, so the 23-year-old southpawwas relegated to the minors and not heard from again in 2011.

Santiago posted a 3.60 ERA over 127 1/3 innings of work between Double-A and Triple-A this year, and with a brand new staff around pitching coach Don Cooper – most of whom are familiar with Santiago, the lefty will have a good shot at a bullpen spot when spring training rolls around if he plays his cards right (see: GET GUYS OUT, a rarity for Sox pitching down in Glendale).

Nathaniel over at Seedlings to Stars took a deeper look at Santiago, and it’s worth taking a look.

Remember, Nathaniel is the one who gave us a heads up on both Dylan Axelrod and Addison Reed before they were on anybody’s big league radar.

Chris Sale is heading to the starting rotation, and Will Ohman isn’t fit to be one of only two lefties in the White Sox ‘pen, so Santiago could become a household name by midseason.