This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Nearly no pitch is too low to be considered “out of the zone” for Anthony Santander. If there’s any player on Baltimore’s roster who has the potential to imitate Baseball Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero -- known for his ability to make solid contact on pitches that were visibly not even close to being strikes -- it has become the switch-hitting Santander.

The 29-year-old outfielder again showed his knack for expanding his zone Saturday. During the Orioles’ 13-4 win over the Angels at Camden Yards, Santander belted a three-run homer off right-hander Guillermo Zuñiga, capping a nine-run sixth inning for the O’s.

Santander’s Statcast-projected 359-foot homer to right-center field came off a 2-1 changeup from Zuñiga that was well below the strike zone. In fact, it was only 0.99 feet off the ground, per Statcast, yet Santander still got his bat on the ball and sent it over the wall.

No surprise there. Since Santander’s rookie sason in 2016, only four O’s home runs have come against a pitch less than one foot off the ground -- and three belong to Santander.

Lowest pitch heights on O’s homers since 2016, per Statcast
1. 0.76 ft. -- Santander vs. Yankees RHP Luis Severino on May 16, 2022

2. 0.96 ft. -- Santander vs. Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman on Aug. 23, 2023

3. 0.98 ft. -- Stevie Wilkerson vs. Cleveland RHP Jefry Rodriguez on May 17, 2019

4. 0.99 ft. -- Santander vs. Zuñiga on Saturday

How does Santander have success with these golf-like swings on pitches nearly in the dirt?

“I don’t know. I guess that’s one of my gifts, to hit a ball good on the low side of the plate,” Santander said with a wide grin. “The angle of my bat just found it there.”

There’s more to it than that. It begins with Santander’s prep work, which continues in the batting cage until shortly before games start.

During those sessions, Santander takes mixed batting practice, meaning the pitching machine sends him different types of pitches in varying locations. He also incorporates the scouting reports on the opposing pitchers, preparing him for what he could see at the plate that day.

“He’s one of the best that I’ve seen in terms of making sure that he’s prepared for what the pitcher has -- not just what he has, but what he’s going to throw to him,” Baltimore co-hitting coach Matt Borgschulte said. “And not just what he wants to hit, but what he’s going to get.”

Santander has been one of the Orioles’ top hitters in recent years. In 2023, he led the team in doubles (41) and RBIs (95). He’s also slugged 63 homers in 310 games since the beginning of the ‘22 season.

It helps that Santander can do considerable damage on pitches outside of the strike zone.

In his career, Santander has recorded eight hits on a pitch less than a foot off the ground -- three homers and five singles, all against changeups and sliders that ranged from 83.4-89.9 mph. Since pitch tracking began in 2008, the only Orioles player with more such hits is Nick Markakis (13 from ‘08-14).

Since the 2019 season, no Baltimore player has as many hits on pitches well outside of the zone -- those classified in the chase and waste areas by Statcast -- than Santander with 35.

“Obviously, we want him to attack pitches that are in the zone that he can do damage to,” Borgschulte said. “But when he is on time, and when he does get the pitch that he wants, it might not be in the best location, but because he’s on time with it and he’s in rhythm with that pitcher … then a lot of times it can result in damage. Even though it might not look like a great pitch.”