The switch-hitter headed for a quiet 40-HR season

The Orioles have gone through a laundry list of changes since the winter of 2016, from ownership on down. They also endured a lengthy rebuild, during which they turned over nearly the entire roster and stockpiled an impressive collection of young talent that has ushered in a new era of winning for the club. Through it all, they’ve had one constant: Anthony Santander.

Now 29 years old, Santander joined the Orioles way back in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft and made his big league debut the following season. That was so long ago that Buck Showalter was still Baltimore’s manager, and the team’s core was made up of Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Jonathan Schoop, Zack Britton and Kevin Gausman.

Seven years later, Santander is not only still with the team, he’s become one of Baltimore’s most important players, even if he tends to fly under the radar on a roster loaded with highly touted youngsters.

The aptly nicknamed "Tony Taters" is one of the leading home run hitters in the Majors this season, with 38 homers entering the start of a hotly anticipated three-game series against the Dodgers on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. Heading into Tuesday’s action, only Aaron Judge (51) and Shohei Ohtani (41) had more dingers.

Santander's power production has been especially important for Baltimore since the All-Star break as the team tries to keep pace with the Yankees in the American League East. Santander has hit 14 home runs in the second half, more than Gunnar Henderson (five), Cedric Mullins (four), Adley Rutschman (two), Ryan Mountcastle (one) and Ryan O'Hearn (one) combined.

Santander delivered one of his biggest homers of the season last Friday against the Astros, swatting a go-ahead grand slam with the Orioles down three runs in the bottom of the eighth.

It was the sixth homer Santander hit this season that either tied the game or put his team in the lead in the seventh inning or later, tied with Padres rookie Jackson Merrill for the most in MLB. Overall, 20 of Santander’s homers in 2024 have been game-tying or go-ahead blasts, the second most behind Judge’s 22.

Santander is also quietly in pursuit of a rare bit of history. With two more round-trippers, he will become just the eighth switch-hitter (12th occurrence) all time to reach the 40-homer plateau in a single season.

The outfielder is currently on pace for 47 homers, which would be the most in a single season by a switch-hitter not named Mickey Mantle.

Most home runs by a switch-hitter in a single season

• 1. Mantle: 54, 1961
• 2. Mantle: 52, 1956
• 3-T. Lance Berkman: 45, 2006
• 3-T. Chipper Jones: 45, 1999
• 5. Mark Teixeira: 43, 2005
• 6-T. Berkman: 42, 2002
• 6-T. Mantle: 42, 1958
• 8-T. Carlos Beltrán: 41, 2006
• 8-T. Todd Hundley: 41, 1996
• 10-T. Ken Caminiti: 40, 1996
• 10-T. Mantle: 40, 1960
  Santander: on pace for 47

While Santander hit 33 homers in 2022 and 28 last season, it was hard to see this type of outburst coming.

All stats below are through Sunday.

The switch-hitter has never profiled as an elite power bat. Even this year, he ranks in the 63rd percentile in hard-hit rate, the 63rd percentile in average exit velocity, the 83rd percentile in barrel rate and the 82nd percentile in expected slugging percentage. Those are all good figures, but not at the level of some of the other top home run hitters in MLB.

Santander, though, has found a simple way to maximize his home run chances -- pulling the ball in the air as much as possible, no matter what side of the plate he's swinging from:

• He has the second-lowest ground-ball rate (minimum 250 batted balls) at 28.3%.
• His average launch angle is tied for second highest (minimum 250 batted balls) at 24 degrees.
• His pull rate ranks in the upper quartile of MLB (minimum 250 batted balls) at 43.1%.
• He’s tied for the second-most pulled fly balls with 55.
• He has the most fly balls that were both pulled and hard-hit with 41.

The approach has worked extremely well for Santander, whose 1.078 slugging percentage on pulled batted balls ranks fourth in MLB (minimum 100 pulled balls) this season. Of his 38 home runs, 33 have come to the pull side (25 as a lefty, eight as a righty). He has five more pulled home runs than any other hitter.

Most pulled home runs

• 1. Santander: 33
• 2. José Ramírez: 28
• 3-T. Corey Seager: 23
• 3-T. Judge: 23
• 5. Cal Raleigh: 22

Santander’s breakout has been well-timed, with the slugger set to hit free agency at the end of this season. While Juan Soto will be the best outfielder (and overall hitter) on the market, Santander has ensured himself a place among the second-tier options alongside Teoscar Hernández, Tyler O'Neill and Cody Bellinger (if he opts out).

It’s unclear how much of an effort the Orioles will make to bring back Santander in free agency. Re-signing ace pitcher Corbin Burnes figures to be their top priority, and they have Heston Kjerstad waiting in the wings as a potential replacement in right field, so they may very well move on from Santander.

Right now, though, Baltimore needs Tony Taters to keep on mashing.