Nelson Santovenia

Nelson Gil Santovenia Mayol (born July 27, 1961) is a Cuban former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a catcher from 1987 to 1993. He played college baseball at the University of Miami. He is currently the hitting coach for the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

High school and college Santovenia attended high school at Miami Southridge High School, graduating in 1979. Upon graduation, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 29th round of the 1979 amateur draft, but did not sign with them. Santovenia played college baseball for Miami Dade College for two years, then transferred to the University of Miami. In 1980, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign with the team. As a result of his playing he was drafted in the secondary phase of the 1982 draft, again by the Expos, with the 19th pick in the first round.

The following two seasons saw Santovenia splitting time at catcher with Fitzgerald. On July 28, 1989, Vince Coleman of the St. Louis Cardinals was caught stealing by Santovenia, ending Coleman's Major League streak of 50 consecutive stolen bases. He played in 92 games during the 1988 Montreal Expos season with a .236 batting average and eight home runs, and played in 97 games during the 1989 Montreal Expos season with a .250 batting average. However, by 1990 Santovenia's average had dipped below the Mendoza Line. He hit .190 that season in 59 games, and in 1991 he split time between Indianapolis and Montreal, hitting .261 and .250, respectively.

On December 9, 1991, Santovenia was released by the Montreal Expos, and on February 3, 1992, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox. He played in two games for the White Sox and played 91 games with the Vancouver Canadians in 1992, then was released. He signed with the Kansas City Royals as a free agent on December 10, 1992. Santovenia spent most of the season with the Omaha Royals, and spent four games with Kansas City in 1993, his final major league appearance coming on October 2, 1993. After another season with Omaha, where he hit .164 in 45 games, he retired.