BALTIMORE -- As they play out their schedule, the Orioles plan to spend the season’s final month in evaluation mode. The auditions are everywhere, from the bullpen to the outfield and beyond. September provides a last-chance showcase to identify not only players that can contribute in 2020, but those around which the organization can potentially build.
All of which makes these last few weeks critical for many Orioles, but notably Anthony Santander and Richie Martin, who both homered in the club’s 7-6 loss to the Rangers on Friday. And though both figure to factor into the organization’s long-term plans, they barrel towards 2020 on seemingly different footing.
Save for maybe Hanser Alberto, perhaps nobody on the roster has done more to raise his stock this season than Santander, who spent the summer rocketing up the depth chart. For Martin, every performance like Friday -- when he won an eight-pitch battle by pulling a three-run homer off Brock Burke -- pads his case to stay in the Majors once his Rule 5 Draft status expires at the end of the year.
“I definitely think there is a lot more in the tank with me personally,” said Martin, who has impressed the Orioles defensively but is hitting just .200 with a .555 overall. “I’m not satisfied whatsoever.”
The Orioles were prepared for Martin, who hadn’t played above Double-A before this season, to endure his share of struggles. And they note progress in several areas, like Martin’s stagnating strikeout rate and improved second-half production against left-handed pitching. Martin’s homer Friday was his first since June 25.
“He got the barrel out in front, which is great to see,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “That was a big hit for us, a big hit for him.”
But they hardly expected even a fraction of what they’re getting from Santander, whose go-ahead, two-run homer Friday continued a breakout stretch for the young outfielder. The Orioles also go home run No. 30 from Trey Mancini and six decent innings from Dylan Bundy, before their bullpen let it slip away late and they stranded the go-ahead and winning run on base in the ninth. Despite popping out to end the game, Santander’s fifth-inning homer still stood as a highlight. His 435-foot shot off Brock Burke marked the longest of his career.
Thanks to nearly identical numbers from both sides of the plate, Santander is now hitting .291 with 18 homers and a .848 OPS. Simply put, a player who began the year behind five other outfielders on the organizational depth chart now looks like a fixture.
“He’s just a good hitter,” Hyde said. “I like him against left-handers and right-handers, the way he’s swinging the bat.”
Consider it return on a long-term investment for the Orioles, who snatched Santander from the Indians in the Rule 5 Draft back in 2016. Santander was a 21-year-old who’d never played above Class A but posted precocious power numbers at the lower levels. Injuries cut into that production in the two subsequent seasons, enough that Santander entered 2019 having hit just seven homers over 106 Minor League games between 2017-2018. He’d hit .214 with one homer in 46 big league contests before 2019.
Now, this. How good has Santander been since being recalled for good on June 7? In 79 games over that stretch, Santander has hit more home runs, 18, than Mookie Betts, Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. He has more hits, 92, than Mike Trout, Michael Brantley. His 64 knocks since the All-Star break are tied, with teammate Jonathan Villar for third most among MLB switch hitters.