photo: Sebastian Dos Santos (Izturis Academy)
In a FREE article, The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 prospect countdown for 2026 reaches no. 40 with a first-year infielder who led the rookie DSL Cardinals in slugging and OPS. 17-year-old switch-hitter Sebastian Dos Santos could be US-bound in 2026.
Position: Shortstop
Age: 17 years old
Bats/Throws: B/R
Height/Weight: 6’0, 173 pounds
Acquired: International free agent signed on January 15, 2025
Hometown: Barquisimeto, VZ
College: none
Opened 2025: Dominican Summer League Cardinals (Rookie)
Primary team in 2025: Dominican Summer League Cardinals (Rookie)
Finished 2025: Dominican Summer League Cardinals (Rookie)
Prior Top 50 rankings – not applicable
Click on the above photo to be taken to Dos Santos’ player page at The Cardinal Nation, with additional biography and history information.
2025 highlights
| Tm | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | HR | SB | CS | BB% | K% | BABIP | wRC+ |
| DSL | 166 | 0.313 | 0.452 | 0.570 | 1.022 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 18.1% | 17.5% | 0.367 | 158 |
Link to Dos Santos’ career stats
Kyle Reis’ scouting report
Kyle’s ranking – no. 37
I think that the name “Sebastian Dos Santos” is a downright RAD name, and that alone gets him on my prospects list.
One year ago, all that we really had to go on with Rainiel Rodriguez was a stat line, and what set that apart in the Dominican Summer League was that he absolutely slugged the heck out of the ball. Homers, doubles, fake DSL triples. It didn’t matter. Rainiel just SLUGGED.
And that’s all Dos Santos did in 2025.
In another stat line scouting report (for the most part), I see this 17-year-old middle infielder with 21 extra-base hits in 128 at-bats and I get excited. As with Miguel Hernandez, there are questions about his size and how much of his body he’ll grow into, but that’s the kind of conversation about a 20 or 21-year-old, not necessarily a 17-year-old. While the concern with Hernandez is his arm, the main concern for Dos Santos’ long-term prospect as a shortstop has more to do with his speed and lateral movement.
Aside from his frame and his quickness, the early scouting reports point to an otherwise-polished teenager in all other aspects of the game. He receives praise for his plate discipline and plate coverage. To be able to get to the power he has with his frame tells us that he’s probably got enough power to display when he does make it stateside.
We still have more to learn more about what this switch-hitter is capable of from each side of the plate, but right now it looks and feels like his work from the left side will be what carries him. It’s a powerful and beautiful cut, and the few videos that I’ve seen of it make me swoon. The main concern about his right-handed cut is that it’s a little clunky and clearly designed for survival-type contact.
Of the organization’s various international signings, Dos Santos is probably the prospect I’m probably most excited to follow in 2026 who isn’t named Rainiel Rodriguez.
Brian Walton’s environmental impact report
Brian’s ranking – no. 41
Background
Dos Santos trained at the Izturis Baseball Academy in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, run by a pair of former MLB players, Maicer Izturis and his half-brother Cesar. The latter played for the Cardinals in 2008.
Dos Santos was two weeks away from his 17th birthday when he signed on January 15, 2025. The native of Venezuela was a very inexpensive signee for the Cardinals. His bonus was just a pittance, relatively speaking, a reported $75,000.
Even so, on signing day, Baseball America labeled Dos Santos as the “sleeper of the Cardinals’ 2025 class,” a group that was well thought of. What has happened since only reinforces the fact that the Cardinals made a very good acquisition.
Though some sites characterize Dos Santos as a 6-foot, 140-pound beanpole, the organization has him listed at a more appropriate 173 pounds.
2025 recap
In his debut season, the switch-hitter generated an overall line of .313/.452/.570/1.022. He was more effective batting left-handed, with a line of .311/.444/.612/1.055, versus a much less powerful but still solid .320/.485/.400/.885 in just 25 at-bats as a right-handed batter.
The rookie placed among the top three DSL Cardinals in multiple offensive categories. Dos Santos was first in slugging and OPS and second in batting average and on-base percentage. Even more impressively, his SLG and OPS ranked sixth in the entire 52-team DSL, which encompasses roughly 1000 position players.
In other very positive stats, Dos Santos walked more often (30) than he struck out (29). His walk rate of 18.1% was second on the team and his 17.5 strikeout rate was fourth. He also swiped 13 bases in 17 attempts.
Defensively, Dos Santos moved across the middle infield with 183 innings in 24 contests at shortstop and 125 2/3 innings in 15 games at second base. His range factor (RF) at short was 4.08 and it was 3.87 at second. Dos Santos committed five errors at short (.961 fielding percentage) and four at second (.921).
In the fall, Dos Santos’ initial season performance received more outside attention. In addition to The Cardinal Nation’s recognition as our DSL Cardinals Player of the Year, Baseball America included Dos Santos among their “40 Standout Hitting Prospects from the 2025 International Signing Class”. He moved onto our Top 50 Prospect List in August.
2026 outlook
Based on Dos Santos’ strong 2025 professional debut in the DSL, it is reasonable to expect his promotion to the Florida Complex League is coming for his age 18 season.
With Dos Santos potentially progressing in parallel with fellow prospect Miguel Hernandez, it will be interesting to see what happens defensively. Both play shortstop, but Hernandez is considered the better defender. Dos Santos already has some experience at second base, and that arrangement may continue.
Future outlook
Future Value: 35
Role: AAAA guy/reserve
Risk: Extreme
As with every prospect yet to play in the US, it is a shot in the dark to try to determine Dos Santos’ major league future. Given his relative position to others in the Top 50, his Future Value at this time is a 35. Because he has so much ground to cover in the years ahead, his risk must be extreme. That is clearly wide open to change as more becomes known.
Ahead, Dos Santos should have four additional seasons to grow his skills and ideally work his way onto the 40-man roster by the time his Rule 5 eligible date of November 2029 comes around. Perhaps early in his sixth professional campaign, 2030, he reaches St. Louis. But I said the same thing about Hernandez.
What we do know is that Dos Santos had a good overseas debut as a 17-year-old. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. Stay tuned!
MLB debut: 2030
Rule 5 eligible: 2029
Our 2026 Top 50 series continues
To see the entire list of top Cardinals prospects, grading scales and remaining article schedule, click here. This includes the Top 50 countdown and 10 in-depth, follow-up articles breaking down the list.
50 Days, 50 Nights, 50 St. Louis Cardinals Prospects for 2026
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