About Me.

I am a kid from the inner city of Cleveland Ohio who early in life found myself with a lot not going my way. My mother left our family when I was 2, my family was very poor with very limited resources, and I was of the mindset that my life would reach its peak in High School. However, my incredible Dad introduced me to the game of baseball that would one day save my life. This game provided me a dream that I could eventually get out of the inner city and reach a better life. I thought about this often when I was alone but it wasn’t until a Cincinnati Reds scout who saw me at player tryout at 15 years old pulled me aside and simply said, “You got a shot to do something special in this game if you can keep your nose clean and keep working.” At that moment I started to believe his story and not mine and it changed everything.

Later in my high school career the great college coach Tim Corbin, of Clemson at that time, was able to help me get into college. I left my old life figuratively and physically for good. After a successful college career and professional career I began to work as a coach, which came somewhat natural to me. Over a decade later my coaching career is going stronger then ever and I have had such a great journey learning from so many people, creating great memories, and enjoying great relationships that all started with baseball and a dream. So I am the underdog and forgotten one who proved to many that your life is only limited by your attitude and yours dreams. I currently reside in Orlando, FL with my beautiful wife Doctor Tanya Quinones- Santiago and our dog Max.

My mission is to promote, educate, and expose the rising baseball families in the greatest county in the world.

About Coach Santiago

About Coach Santiago

About Coach Santiago

About Coach Santiago

About Coach Santiago

How it started…

Originally from Cleveland, OH, DJ Santiago has been involved baseball at every level, in multiple capacities, since 1998. Before becoming a coach and evaluator of baseball talent, he enjoyed a professional career as a player for the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians.

Through the years…

2003

Making a Coach

Soon after retiring from playing professional baseball, DJ first coached at Cuyahoga Community College and then, moved on to Urbana University. He started working with younger players in 2003. While coaching at the collegiate level, he successfully ran the Ohio Orioles 13U-18U travel ball organization in his free time.

2007

Finding Talent

In 2007, while coaching and recruiting for Urbana University, DJ also evaluated players for the Rockford Riverhawks of the Frontier Professional League. He continued to renew his commitment to youth baseball by working with the USA Baseball NTIS program to expose local and regional talent throughout Ohio. Along with that he expanded his travel and training locations from 1 to 5. Covering east Cleveland, West Cleveland, Medina, Columbus, and Akron. His business exploded with an annual growth of 60% and retention rate over 90%. He also grew his staff to 5 Full Time Employees and over 30 part-time provided a lot of economic impact throughout northeast Ohio. His total enrollment into his academy was over 400 players at this time. He was also featured twice on the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer Business Section, Ohio’s largest newspaper publication.

2012

Move to Orlando

In 2012, DJ brought his baseball experience, tremendous reputation, and passion for the game to Central Florida. Before he had finished unpacking, he began working with young players in the Orlando area while working as a scout for the Cleveland Indians & with the Orlando Scorpions Organization. He also sold his Ohio based company in April of 2012 which at that time was well over 500 players and $875,000 in total business. He remained on with the new ownership group as a hired consultant for another 6 months during transition.

2014

O-City Coaching

After a successful campaign with the Orlando Scorpions for two years DJ decided to focus his energies into player development. With baseball being played practically year round, and so many young players participating, DJ recognized that there was a serious lack of information circulated to parents about travel baseball and not enough focus on player development within Central Florida. As he began to coach High School Baseball at Orangewood Christian as an assistant he also began the O-City Orioles travel program for players 10U-18U with a focus on player development before showcasing their talents at the high school level. This program has served over 400 families since its inception and been one a very few programs that truly combined development with professional coaching in Central Florida.

2017

Coaching Families on the game within the game

In 2017 DJ started “CoachSantiago.com” as his personal coaching and mentoring site and voice within baseball and softball world after popular demand. Coach Santiago is excited to pursue the next phase of his career in baseball/softball while being humble by coaching over 2,000 unique players and helping them get across the finish line as college and pro hopefuls. Coaching for as many years as he has he noticed a gap in the market that he could fill by focusing all his energies on being the foremost authority on how to market any player who has the basic skills to getting into the 5% club of high level sports.

Running Travel Teams

Opening Indoor Facilities

Facility Layout Operations

Training Coaches

Practice Plan Setup & Execution

Player Evaluations

Public Speaking

Baseball/Softball Marketing