Shaheen Samavati - Plain Dealer Reporter
Click for online articleAs a professional baseball scout, D.J. Santiago noticed a lot of high school players were missing out on opportunities for college scholarships.
So in 2003, he started Aspiring Athletes, a business aimed at developing young baseball players through training, competition and college placement services.
Santiago knows how much work it takes to break into a baseball career.
In the late 1990s, he was a standout catcher at John Marshall High School in Cleveland. But he struggled to find traveling teams that would let him play during the off-season, he said, because his high school wasn't known for athletics.
"Nobody respected the league we played in," he said.
Upon graduation, his father pushed him to market himself to baseball programs at universities around the country. Even though he was able to get attention from some Division I schools, his SAT scores didn't meet most admission requirements, Santiago said.
He ended up playing at Pitt Community College in North Carolina, where he led the team to its first conference championship. While there, he received an associate degree in business administration.
Santiago went on to play minor league baseball for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians organizations. When a hip injury forced him out of baseball in 2002, he dedicated himself to developing young athletes.
"It was one of the most heart-wrenching and depressing times of my life, but I knew I didn't want to get a desk job," he said. "I wanted to get back on a baseball field and give back to the community."
Santiago, now 27, said he is living proof that, with hard work, young baseball players can make their dreams come true.
"I was an inner-city kid who nobody wanted to give a chance," he said. "And less than two years later, I was playing professionally."
His goal for Aspiring Athletes is to prepare high school players to make the transition into college baseball without facing the obstacles he did.
"I was so focused on my athletics that I didn't know what it took to qualify academically," he said.
Aspiring Athletes offers one-on-one counseling and marketing services to help players find college baseball scholarships. Players learn to set goals both physically and academically, Santiago said.
The company boasts a 100 percent success rate in placing 45 varsity high school seniors who have bought his college placement service, he said. The $700 he charges is an investment for parents, whose children typically receive thousands in scholarship money.
His company offers a range of other development services that include training clinics and feedback on technique. It also manages two summer leagues and 10 travel teams that play under the Orioles name. The travel teams cost $850 per player.
Santiago said he started the traveling teams in 2004 because he wanted to build relationships with players before they were ready to apply to colleges. That way he can play a larger role in their development, he said. The players are middle-school- and high-school-aged and most live in Northeast Ohio.
On Sunday, Santiago stood crouched behind first base at a field in Medina, coaching members of a 14 and younger Orioles team.
Most of the middle schoolers previously played for a community-based team in Medina. As an open travel team, they face tougher competition and can recruit players from outside the community, Santiago said.
David Kinsey, whose son Jake pitches and plays first base, coached both teams with the help of other dads.
"D.J. not only trains the kids but also coaches the coaches," he said. "I've learned as much about baseball as the kids have."
The players are excited to have Santiago as a mentor and have a lot of respect for what he has to say, Kinsey said.
"He knows a lot about the game," said Alex Thielman, 13, who plays shortstop, pitcher and catcher. "We've picked up a lot and I think our whole team is a lot more confident."
Alex, like most of his teammates, is from Medina, where he attends A.I. Root Middle School. But a few players, like 14-year-old Johnie Wilcox of Norwalk, commute to practices and games.
His mother, Annette Wilcox, said she and her husband, Oron, put him on the team because they had heard good things about Santiago's coaching style. She said the level of instruction is worth the 45-minute drive.
When asked about his athletic goals, Johnie said, "I want to go pro." The eighth-grader at Norwalk Junior High already has his heart set on playing college baseball at Ohio State University.
But Johnie said Santiago has helped put things into perspective for him.
"It'll take a lot of practice," he said.
Santiago said he is hands-on in every aspect of his business.
He provides a 10-week winter training session for each of his teams and will show up at several games and practices throughout the season, he said.
"I work with 135 kids and I know each on a first and last name basis," he said.
Santiago, who is also a talent scout for the Indians, plans to continue growing his business that started in his father's one-bedroom apartment. Today, he has 10 part-time employees who work out of an office in Rocky River.
His company has built up credibility in making recommendations to colleges, Santiago said.
"Our philosophy is if they're good enough to play varsity in high school, we can find them a place to play [in college]," he said.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
ssamavat@plaind.com, 216-999-4331