I remember talking to a member of the Cleveland Indians organization in early 2017, shortly after the Orioles had selected Anthony Santander in the previous December’s Rule 5 draft.
In the course of the conversation, I asked the guy why the Indians didn’t protect the then-22-year-old outfielder from potentially being snagged by another team.
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I’m paraphrasing here, but the guy said, “We liked him a lot, but we didn’t think anyone would be crazy enough to select an injured, Single-A player and try to stash him in the majors for a full year.”
There’s a lesson here: Never underestimate the baseball wackiness of Dan Duquette.
OK, there’s another lesson here, too.
Players develop at their own pace in this exceptionally difficult game. But betting on talent can be a smart wager.
It took several years, but Santander began to reach his vast potential in the second half of 2019. And this year, until an oblique injury on Sept. 4 ended his season, Santander had emerged as a legitimate offensive force in the American League. His 11 homers, 13 doubles, 32 RBIs and .890 OPS in 37 games were good enough to earn him the 2020 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award, as voted on by the Baltimore media.
Santander, who turns 26 in October, is now one of the Orioles’ most promising players. And he could be here for a while; he won’t be a free agent until after the 2024 season.
“It’s definitely been a long road. It’s been a long journey,” Santander said in a Zoom call Friday through Orioles Spanish translator Ramón Alarcón. “It’s amazing to be here and to really know the results that I’ve been getting after so much work, after so many sacrifices. It’s been all worth it. It’s all thanks to the opportunity and hard work.”
Back in 2016, Santander had loads of talent. As a 21-year-old in the High-A Carolina League, the switch-hitter compiled 20 homers, 95 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and an .862 OPS. That year, he terrorized the Orioles’ affiliate, the Frederick Keys, smacking six homers and seven doubles in 17 games.
The Keys manager at that time, Keith Bodie, made a point of telling executives in the Orioles organization they needed to grab this kid if the Indians made him available due to the glut of outfielders in Cleveland’s system.
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Santander, indeed, was made available by the Indians in 2016 only because he had undergone surgery to his right shoulder that offseason. He also hadn’t played above High-A, and his outfield skills were raw. So, he was hurt and not ready. No way he could stick in the majors a whole year, as Rule 5 regulations require, right?
Frankly, that’s what then-Orioles manager Buck Showalter thought, too. The Orioles were coming off their third playoff appearance in five seasons, and their competitiveness window was shutting. The sense was that the 2017 season might be the Orioles’ last shot at a playoff run — in retrospect, 2016 was — and there Duquette was, treating the Rule 5 draft like his own private Christmas again.
It was nothing personal with Santander. Showalter just wanted to win. And he didn’t feel, at that time, that another Rule 5 player would advance that immediate goal.
The Orioles actually selected two outfielders in the major-league phase that year: Santander in the second round and the speedy Aneury Tavarez from the Boston Red Sox in the first.
Tavarez didn’t stick and was sent back to Boston during spring training; he ended up playing in the Mexican League in 2019. Santander, however, stayed around, although most of his time was spent on the injured list in 2017.
Initially, he was still recovering from shoulder surgery. Then he dealt with an elbow strain and went through a rehab assignment for that. He wasn’t activated onto the major-league roster until mid-August 2017, and he played in 13 games.
He maintained his Rule 5 status to start 2018, made the Opening Day roster, appeared in 33 games, then was sent to the minors in May — once he had finally met the roster requirements that allowed him to be a full-fledged member of the Orioles organization. He was called up for good in June 2019, and, when healthy, has played superbly.
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There are still some concerns here. Santander hasn’t been able to stay healthy in his career. It’s not for a lack of keeping himself in good shape. He’s an impressive physical specimen and has a tremendous work ethic. For the first time in his career, Santander said he is staying in Florida this offseason instead of wintering in his native Venezuela. And his primary focus will be on his body and his craft.
I think that’s something the Orioles lucked into a little bit, too, with Santander. It’s hard to determine at 21 whether an athlete will have the work ethic to overcome injuries and keep pushing himself to become a better player as he gets older. Santander has done that.
He’s never been complacent. He’s made himself into a good right fielder. He wanted to learn English when he came to Baltimore, and he’s basically fluent now. It’s allowed him to come out of his shell a little more with English speakers on the team. And with the prodding of teammates Hanser Alberto and Renato Núñez, he’s become more vocal on the bench and in the clubhouse.
Santander is worthy of MVO status for various reasons. And it’s not surprising that he flashed the talent to win the award. Sometimes, it just takes a little time.
Full disclosure: I voted for Iglesias first
As I hinted in Connolly’s Tap Room earlier this week, my top pick for 2020 MVO was shortstop José Iglesias, followed by Santander and rookie Ryan Mountcastle (we are required to select three). I easily could have made it a tie between Santander and Iglesias, as both were really good but also missed a third of the season due to injuries.
But I don’t do ties.
For me, it came down to Iglesias’ ability to play as an elite shortstop — I know, for only 20-some games — and the veteran leadership he provided this club. That’s not taking anything away from Santander’s defense in right. He was surprisingly good out there.
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And, certainly, when Santander went down with the oblique injury, the offense wasn’t nearly as potent. But you could really tell the difference in infield defense while Iglesias was on the shelf or serving as the designated hitter.
And Iglesias, despite his lack of consistent power, seemed to sting everything he hit.
Still, Santander was an excellent choice. I’m happy for him. And you could sense in his Zoom call Friday that he was thrilled to be chosen.
Manny holding steady in popularity
Major League Baseball announced Friday its ranking of jersey sales since the beginning of the 2020 season. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts was first and Aaron Judge was second. (This doesn’t count the knockoff Yankees jerseys with “Judge” on the back. Those irritate me to no end. No names, Yankee fans. Stay legit.)
No Orioles made the top 20, of course. But one former Oriole did: Manny Machado’s San Diego Padres jersey is 12th, just behind Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich and just ahead of the Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo.
That’s pretty good company.
It’s funny. Back in 2018, while Machado was still with the Orioles, I thought that he ultimately was going to end up in a huge market with a rabid baseball fan base. Because he loved the spotlight and, with his talent and youth, he seemed to be in a great position to really be marketed if he joined an immensely popular team. He never got onto that stage in Baltimore.
In retrospect, after his time in Los Angeles, the Padres seemed like a good fit. He’s a huge part of an upward-trending club, he’s not under a constant microscope, and this year he has been outstanding on the field. He’s a legitimate NL MVP candidate and has carried the postseason-bound Padres for the past few weeks.
But from a jersey-sales sense, he’s basically where he was nationally when he was with the Orioles: top 10 to 15. Heck, for a spell in 2014, he made it into the top five for a stretch.
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Part of Machado not being in the top 10 yet this year is likely because he has competition in San Diego from young superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., whose jersey is the No. 4 seller in MLB behind only Betts, Judge and Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper (Washington’s Juan Soto rounds out the top five).
It’ll be interesting to see if that changes should Machado extend his scorching September into the playoffs. But I also wonder if Machado’s youthful brashness, including his “Johnny Hustle” comment in the 2018 NLCS, hurt his national appeal.
Maybe. But he sure is talented. And that’s usually the No. 1 reason fans buy a player’s jersey.
One more chance to watch Akin
Rookie lefty Keegan Akin said after his start Tuesday — one in which he lasted only four innings because of a high pitch count caused, in part, by poor defense behind him — that he really wanted one more chance to pitch in the big leagues this season.
And he’ll get it.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said John Means will start Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays in Buffalo, then Akin will finish up the season Sunday.
The 25-year-old lefty has allowed 22 hits, nine walks and just one homer in seven games (five starts) this year. His ERA sits at 3.57, and he’s struck out 31 batters in 22 2/3 innings in 2020 — that’s a tremendous 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
Those are numbers you can build on, numbers you can feel good about heading into a long winter. But the fact that this guy wants one more shot to show what he can do might be more telling than what he actually does on the mound Sunday.
You gotta love that desire and competitiveness.
(Photo of Santander: Julio Cortez / Associated Press)