From professional baseball player to mentor and coach for aspiring players in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – From minor league player to mentor for Milwaukee youth, sharing everything he knows about baseball. We close Hispanic Heritage Month with the story of a former professional player who now helps new generations reach their dreams.
It’s no secret that the Dominican has baseball in Félix Santiago's blood.
“Before you even go to school, it’s baseball first; they give you a bat and a ball,” said Santiago, former minor league player and co-owner of Heavy Hitters Athletic Facility in Milwaukee.
At a young age, Santiago achieved his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.
He first signed as a pitcher with the New York Yankees and later with the Kansas City Royals, playing several years in the minor leagues.
According to MLB, aside from US-born players, Dominicans are the second-largest group playing in the Major Leagues.
“Back in the Dominican Republic, we don’t have access to what you have here," Santiago said. "Here, a player can go to school and come out with a degree; there, you have to focus solely on baseball. That’s why most Dominicans start playing baseball from a young age.”
Now, he shares everything he learned in professional baseball with aspiring players in Milwaukee.
He helped open the sports complex Heavy Hitters Athletic Facility alongside his friend, Marcos Ramos García, who says baseball is also in the Puerto Rican DNA.
“Roberto Clemente, Carlos Delgado… there are many players who inspire us in the Puerto Rican community,” said Ramos García.
According to MLB’s 2025 international player roster, nearly 30% of players in the Major Leagues are Latino.
Many of them have passed through the facility’s doors, including Brewers’ Dominican pitchers Freddy Peralta and Joel Payamps, as well as Cuban Aroldis Chapman, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has also shown support of the facility.
Santiago shows young players that it is possible to reach the Major Leagues, but it all starts at a young age.
“This isn’t something where you come at 17 or 18 and go straight to the Major Leagues,” he says. “It takes time, and my advice is to focus every day and step away a little from the streets. That’s our future here—giving kids from low-income backgrounds the chance to practice with us,” Santiago added.
“Marcos and I aim to help Latinos get more involved in the community,” Santiago concluded.
Santiago has a son and says that if he ever wants to become a professional baseball player, he will support him. Heavy Hitters’ owners also say they offer single classes for $20 or monthly memberships. For more information, click here.
You can also call them at (414) 914-9229.