Jered Weaver has grabbed the headlines for his splashy arrival in the major leagues, but in many respects Ervin Santana's steady progress has been more impressive.
Santana has now pitched the equivalent of one full major-league season - stretched over the past two years - and he is 20-11 in those 39 starts. He has become the Angels' most consistent starter, giving them quality starts in his past seven outings and nine of his past 10.
"Ervin, over his last 30 starts, might be our most consistent pitcher," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "He's shown what his talent will achieve. ... Sometimes, he gets kind of hidden when you talk about a Cy Young winner on our staff, guys like Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey and now Jered coming up. What makes it exciting is it's not one guy, but the whole group. Ervin is a big part of it."
The Angels have known Santana, 23, was talented since they signed him for $735,000 as a 17-year old in 2000. What has made him so consistent is his ability to adjust to changing games situations and hitters' approaches.
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Santana shows progress
Santana shows progress
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