MESA, ARIZONA >> The contract presented each year to Jack Santora is for one year. Performance dictates whether another offer will be put on the table.

For eight years, Santora has had his minor league baseball contract as a coach in the Los Angeles Angels organization extended, with a handful of promotions along the way.

With spring training set to start on Feb. 17, the 1994 Monterey High graduate will begin his third season with the Angels Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City.

“The role I’m doing now suits me very well compared to roles I have had in the past,” Santora said. “And Ron Washington has really helped me grow in that specific job title.”

A first base/bench coach at Salt Lake City, Santora worked with Washington, the Angels’ second-year manager during spring training last year and will do the same this season.

Part of Santora’s duties at Salt Lake City include handling the defense and base running, two of Washington’s strengths as a player and now a manager.

“My only connection with him prior to his arrival was Mike Aldrete,” Santora said. “But it was a good connection.”

Aldrete, a 1979 Monterey alum, who is following the A’s to Sacramento this year as their bench coach, coached with Washington when both were with Oakland in 2016.

Having spent 17 years as a player — nine in the minors and 10 in Italy, Santora still has visions of reaching the big leagues — only now as major league baseball coach.

“I feel closer to that goal than when I started,” said Santora, who has been working with players in the Angels organization at a mini-camp in Mesa, Arizona.

Since becoming a coach in the Angels organization in 2017, Santora has worked his way up the ranks, even managing for two years at the Class A level.

Promoted to Salt Lake City after a stint as a coach in Double A, Santora understands the rigors of the sport, how changes happen sometimes without notice.

“Every year you get evaluated,” Santora said. “But it’s not like you get tenure and there’s a lot of security. Either your contract gets renewed or you are looking for work.”

For eight seasons, Santora has built a reputation in the organization for his ability to handle players and develop their talents for the big league club.

“I treat each day like it’s my last,” Santora said. “It’s helped me as a person. I’m very passionate about it. I don’t know if it’s about proving yourself each year. But it’s always in the back of your mind.”

It’s not always performance that sends coaches packing. Changes in the front office at the big league level may constitute changes at all organizational levels.

“It’s very hard that each contract is for just one year,” Santroa said. “What you do know is the weather always changes in baseball. It’s the one thing that’s constant.”

A peek at Santora’s eight seasons in the organization shows that the Angels parent club has changed managers four times in an effort to jump start the franchise.

Washington is someone who Santora has gravitated toward, as the pair have a lot of similarities, with their strengths being defense and communication skills.

“I love how Ron (Washington) goes about his business as an instructor,” Santora said. “I’m loyal to a fault. But I’m grateful and would not want to be anywhere else at this point in my career.”

Drafted by the Diamondbacks out of UCLA in 1999, Santora also spent time in the Padres and Phillies organizations as a shortstop before taking his career to Italy.

Santora spent a decade playing in his native country, taking part as a player in two World Baseball Classics before retiring. He also served as an assistant coach for Italy in the WBC under Mike Piazza.

“When you’ve gone through stuff and have had experiences, it’s a huge thing,” Santora said. “I don’t think it’s my No. 1 asset. That’s the relationships and trust I build with players. I don’t think it’s a necessity. But it helps to have my experiences to grab from.”

The 48-year-old is relatable to players trying to reach the big leagues, having risen as high as Triple-A as a player. He understands the emotions and anxiety that comes with it.

“There’s so much you see at the Triple-A level that you will not see at any other level,” Santora said. “You see players crying from getting released, tears of joy from getting called up. The emotions of being sent down. It’s hard to get to the big league and stay.”

Part of Santora’s role with the Angels is reestablishing confidence when a player comes down or is on rehab assignment from an injury.

“Where I’ve progressed is knowing the intricacies between the big leagues and minor leagues,” Santora said. “How the process works. Being able to work with players that have come down and get them back to the majors. There’s a big reward in that.”

What Santora has learned in his career is he’s more than just a coach to a lot of these players, some of whom are still 19 or 20.

“You have to be everything from a mentor to a friend,” Santora said. “When you’re in the trenches with someone for six months, 10 to 12 hours a day, I’m probably with them more than their own families. There’s a lot of trust. You’re dealing with a lot of emotions. That’s the reality of it.”

While Santora is critiqued after each season, the one thing he was told when promoted to Triple-A three years ago is not to stop what he is doing.

“You’re never really sure where you stand going forward,” Santora said. “But I was told ‘you would do well at the next level.’ The reality is there are not many big league jobs. It’s a coveted spot.”

One that Santora has been chasing since being drafted as a player, just with a different mindset today.

“It has to be the right fit,” Santora said. “But of course, it still remains the goal. I don’t know what the future holds. But right now my job is to help whoever is in front of me.”