Sox trade closer Sergio Santos to Toronto for RHP Nestor Molina (video)

whitesox.com press release:

The Chicago White have acquired right-handed pitcher Nestor Molina from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed reliever Sergio Santos.

… The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Molina spent most of the season with Dunedin, going 10-3 with a 2.58 ERA (31 ER/108.1 IP), 16 walks and 115 strikeouts in 21 games (18 starts).  He was named to the Florida State League mid and postseason All-Star Teams.

A native of Valencia, Venezuela, Molina made his final five starts with New Hampshire, where he was 2-0 with a 0.41 ERA (1 ER/22.0 IP), two walks and 33 strikeouts.  He finished the season with a streak of 16.0 consecutive scoreless IP over his final four outings.

Molina is 27-7 with a 2.21 ERA (72 ER/292.2 IP) and 277 strikeouts in 103 games (27 starts) over six seasons in the Blue Jays minor-league system.  He was signed by Toronto as a free agent on April 2, 2006 and spent the 2006-07 seasons as an outfielder/third baseman before being converted to a pitcher. …

Molina’s 2011 stats (full stats on the end):

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2011	22	2 Teams	2 Lgs	A+-AA	TOR	12	3	.800	2.21	26	23	1	0	0	0	130.1	114	39	32	8	16	0	148	1	1	5	512	0.997	7.9	0.6	1.1	10.2	9.25
2011	22	Dunedin	FLOR	A+	TOR	10	3	.769	2.58	21	18	1	0	0	0	108.1	102	37	31	8	14	0	115	1	0	3	432	1.071	8.5	0.7	1.2	9.6	8.21
2011	22	New Hampshire	EL	AA	TOR	2	0	1.000	0.41	5	5	0	0	0	0	22.0	12	2	1	0	2	0	33	0	1	2	80	0.636	4.9	0.0	0.8	13.5	16.50
A+ (2 seasons)				A+		10	3	.769	2.56	23	18	2	0	0	0	112.2	109	41	32	8	14	0	118	1	0	3	452	1.092	8.7	0.6	1.1	9.4	8.43
AA (1 season)				AA		2	0	1.000	0.41	5	5	0	0	0	0	22.0	12	2	1	0	2	0	33	0	1	2	80	0.636	4.9	0.0	0.8	13.5	16.50

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 12/6/2011.

Wow! a 0.0997 WHIP and a 148/16 K/BB ratio!

And minorleaguecentral says Molina did this with a .318 BABIP in 2011!! And a 2.12 FIP!!

John Sickels on Molina last week:

2) Nestor Molina, RHP, Grade B+: Ranking the Blue Jays pitching prospects is quite difficult. Although Molina hasn’t received as much press as some of the other guys, his performance was impeccable, I think his stuff is underrated, and he’ll get to the majors sooner than the others. Despite his season, he is still underrated by a lot of people.

and

Molina [ranking] is both stats and scouting reports. I think the scouting reports that are out there are underrating his stuff. But we will see.

From a Jim Callis chat on Aug. 24, 2011:

Q: What is Nestor Molina’s stuff? He is making double a look very easy.

A: It’s all solid: fastball, slider, changeup, occasional curveball. Not sure you’d call any of his offerings a plus pitch, but he mixes them well and moves the ball around the strike zone. Not the sexiest scouting report, but that’s the type of guy who winds up in the big leagues.

From Kenny Williams’ comments it seems Molina will start 2012 in the minors:

“I would hope that we give him a little bit more seasoning, but he’s got the kind of ability that, there are certain guys that will force his way onto major league rosters. When you look at a young pitcher, you look at what kind of stuff he has, what kind of composure he has, and his ability to command the strike zone, and this guy does it in a way that very few do so. I’m not going to say that he can’t, and he won’t.”

I like the trade from what I hear so far. Molina’s stats are impeccable. And Addison Reed can take over.

And a 9-minute youtube video of Molina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKNGVIep51I

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GS	GF	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	BK	WP	BF	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2007	18	Blue Jays 2	DOSL	FRk	TOR	0	0		0.00	1	0	1	0	0	0	1.0	0	0	0	0	1		0	0	0	0	3	1.000	0.0	0.0	9.0	0.0	0.00
2008	19	Blue Jays 2	DOSL	FRk	TOR	4	1	.800	0.96	20	0	17	0	0	4	37.1	30	6	4	1	5	0	27	0	0	2	147	0.938	7.2	0.2	1.2	6.5	5.40
2009	20	2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk-A-	TOR	3	1	.750	1.67	17	2	5	0	0	1	43.0	40	11	8	1	5	0	38	1	1	2	171	1.047	8.4	0.2	1.0	8.0	7.60
2009	20	Blue Jays	GULF	Rk	TOR	3	0	1.000	1.69	15	2	5	0	0	1	37.1	31	8	7	0	4	0	32	1	1	1	143	0.938	7.5	0.0	1.0	7.7	8.00
2009	20	Auburn	NYPL	A-	TOR	0	1	.000	1.59	2	0	0	0	0	0	5.2	9	3	1	1	1	0	6	0	0	1	28	1.765	14.3	1.6	1.6	9.5	6.00
2010	21	2 Teams	2 Lgs	A-A+	TOR	8	2	.800	3.11	39	2	13	0	0	4	81.0	71	35	28	4	20	1	64	0	0	2	329	1.123	7.9	0.4	2.2	7.1	3.20
2010	21	Lansing	MIDW	A	TOR	8	2	.800	3.17	37	2	12	0	0	4	76.2	64	31	27	4	20	1	61	0	0	2	309	1.096	7.5	0.5	2.3	7.2	3.05
2010	21	Dunedin	FLOR	A+	TOR	0	0		2.08	2	0	1	0	0	0	4.1	7	4	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	20	1.615	14.5	0.0	0.0	6.2
2011	22	2 Teams	2 Lgs	A+-AA	TOR	12	3	.800	2.21	26	23	1	0	0	0	130.1	114	39	32	8	16	0	148	1	1	5	512	0.997	7.9	0.6	1.1	10.2	9.25
2011	22	Dunedin	FLOR	A+	TOR	10	3	.769	2.58	21	18	1	0	0	0	108.1	102	37	31	8	14	0	115	1	0	3	432	1.071	8.5	0.7	1.2	9.6	8.21
2011	22	New Hampshire	EL	AA	TOR	2	0	1.000	0.41	5	5	0	0	0	0	22.0	12	2	1	0	2	0	33	0	1	2	80	0.636	4.9	0.0	0.8	13.5	16.50
5 Seasons						27	7	.794	2.21	103	27	37	0	0	9	292.2	255	91	72	14	47	1	277	2	2	11	1162	1.032	7.8	0.4	1.4	8.5	5.89
FRk (2 seasons)				FRk		4	1	.800	0.94	21	0	18	0	0	4	38.1	30	6	4	1	6	0	27	0	0	2	150	0.939	7.0	0.2	1.4	6.3	4.50
A+ (2 seasons)				A+		10	3	.769	2.56	23	18	2	0	0	0	112.2	109	41	32	8	14	0	118	1	0	3	452	1.092	8.7	0.6	1.1	9.4	8.43
A (1 season)				A		8	2	.800	3.17	37	2	12	0	0	4	76.2	64	31	27	4	20	1	61	0	0	2	309	1.096	7.5	0.5	2.3	7.2	3.05
AA (1 season)				AA		2	0	1.000	0.41	5	5	0	0	0	0	22.0	12	2	1	0	2	0	33	0	1	2	80	0.636	4.9	0.0	0.8	13.5	16.50
Rk (1 season)				Rk		3	0	1.000	1.69	15	2	5	0	0	1	37.1	31	8	7	0	4	0	32	1	1	1	143	0.938	7.5	0.0	1.0	7.7	8.00
A- (1 season)				A-		0	1	.000	1.59	2	0	0	0	0	0	5.2	9	3	1	1	1	0	6	0	0	1	28	1.765	14.3	1.6	1.6	9.5	6.00

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 12/6/2011.