Baltimore Orioles: Anthony Santander Is Making A Name For Himself

Very quietly, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander has done an outstanding job since being called up from Norfolk in June.

With the Baltimore Orioles having many exciting prospects for the first time in several years, Anthony Santander was not a name on many people’s radar in Birdland.

Santander started the 2018 season with the big league club and appeared in 25 games. It’s safe to say his first taste of pro ball was not one to remember as he hit just .198 with a .250 on-base percentage.

The poor start to the season got Santander optioned to Double-A Bowie where he appeared in 54 games for the Baysox hitting just .258 with five home runs. An injury cost him a good deal of time, but he did get the chance to appear in 11 games in Triple-A with the Norfolk Tides where he hit two home runs. All in all, 2018 was a rough season for Santander at both the major league and minor league level.

With the Orioles having a surplus of outfielders it appeared Santander would never be more than a depth piece for the organization.

Cedric Mullins, DJ Stewart, Dwight Smith Jr., and Stevie Wilkerson all got their chance in the majors ahead of Santander this season.

With no room in the majors, Santander began the season in Norfolk where he appeared in 48 games and hit .259.

Santander was called up to the bigs when Smith Jr. went down with an injury on in June Expectations of the Orioles fan base were low for the 24-year-old outfielder who many remembered played poorly in 2018.

Rather than being an automatic out like many expected however Santander has slowly emerged a piece the Orioles cannot take out of the lineup.

Since being called up to the majors on June 7th, Santander has put together an impressive slash line of .274/.340/.376. In addition, he has slugged four home runs and has posted an OPS of .803.

Defensively Santander has made some outstanding catches most noticeably robbing Yuli Gurriel of the Astros of a home run back on June 8th. and then doubling off the runner at first to turn an unreal double play.

For a player who many counted out of being a contributor to the Orioles in 2019 and going forward, Santander has fared exceptionally well and has put himself in consideration to be a part of this Baltimore team for years to come.