Anthony Santander is arguably the best Rule 5 draft pick in Orioles history besides Paul Blair. And he’s only 26 years old. The switch-hitting outfielder has been with the club since 2017 — after being plucked from the Cleveland Indians system — and has slowly developed over the years.
After hitting .261/.297/.476 with 20 home runs over 93 games in 2019, Santander had a breakout of sorts last year. In just 153 at-bats (37 games) in 2020, Santander hit 11 home runs, slugged .575, and put up a .890 OPS.
Unable to follow up his strong 2020 season initially — even though he missed most of September last year with an oblique strain — Santander’s bat has come to life more recently.