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. 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. In his one year at Miami, Santovenia was a member of the Miami Hurricanes baseball championship team in 1982. In the final game of the 1982 College World Series, Miami beat Wichita State University, 9–3, and Santovenia was named to the all-tournament team for his role in the series. 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.\n', '

Upon signing with the Expos, Santovenia spent his first season as a member of the West Palm Beach Expos, playing alongside future star Andrés Galarraga. He played 40 games in West Palm Beach in 1982, and spent the full 1983 season with the Memphis Chicks. After spending the 1984 season with the Jacksonville Suns, he spent the next two seasons moving between the AA-level Suns and the AAA-level Indianapolis Indians. Santovenia spent most of the 1987 season with the Suns, playing 117 games for them. He had a batting average of .279, hit 19 home runs, and had a slugging percentage of .467.\n', '

Santovenia made his major league debut on September 16, 1987 against the New York Mets. He came in to give regular catcher Mike Fitzgerald some rest, and caught the ninth inning; his second and final appearance of the season came two days later against the Philadelphia Phillies, when he came in as a pinch hitter, getting his only at-bat of the season.\n', '

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