Anthony Santander

Anthony Santander's Biography

Anthony Roger Santander, born on October 19, 1994, on Margarita Island along the Venezuelan coast, is a professional baseball right fielder acclaimed for his formidable skill on the field. Although he was born on the island, Santander identifies more with mainland Venezuela’s municipality, Agua Blanca, where he spent his formative years. Santander makes it a point to return to Agua Blanca, his quaint hometown, every winter.

His journey into professional baseball began when he inked a deal with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent in July 2011. A year later, he made his professional debut in the tough arena of the Arizona League Indians. Starting in 2013, Santander showcased his skills for the Lake County Captains for two years. He was noticeably sidelined due to a damaging right elbow injury in 2013, which had a marked impact on his performance in the 2014 season; he recorded a below-par score for the Captains.

By 2015, he played briefly for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, only to return to his usual stomping ground with the Lynchburg Hillcats in 2016. His strong comeback was characterized by an impressive .290 batting average, 20 home runs, and 95 RBIs.

The Baltimore Orioles saw his potential and swiftly secured him in their squad during the 2016 Rule 5 draft. Santander made his first major league debut on August 18, 2017, at Camden Yards, Baltimore against formidable rivals, the Los Angeles Angels. He batted .267/.258/.367 in 30 at-bats and gradually began to solidify his place in the major leagues.

As his career blossomed, so did his popularity, specifically among scouts and girl guides from the United Kingdom who cheered boisterously for him during an Orioles’ victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019. The Orioles responded to their enthusiasm by christening them the “Official International Anthony Santander Fan Club.” In the same year, he had a phenomenal performance, hitting 20 home runs with 59 runs batted in over 93 games.

Santander continued his stellar performance in 2020 and went on to achieve a .261/.315/.575 batting score, with 11 home runs and 32 RBI in 37 games for the Orioles. His excellent performance had him awarded the Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media.

Experiencing a minor setback in June 2022, Santander was temporarily removed from playing for the Orioles due to restrictions related to him being unvaccinated against COVID-19. This hiatus, however, did not affect his performance. Santander returned stronger than ever and set an MLB record, matching the feat set by Ken Caminiti in 1996 by scoring home runs from both sides of the plate for the fourth time in a single season. Following this, he reached an agreement in 2023 with the Orioles on a one-year, $7.4 million contract, thereby avoiding salary arbitration.

Santander reached another career milestone in the 2024 season; his outstanding performance on the field earned him his first-ever All-Star designation. He equaled his career-high five RBI in a pair of Orioles away victories that season. He also surpassed Ken Singleton’s 1979 franchise record for the most home runs scored by a switch-hitter in a season.

Outside of the MLB, Santander takes pride in his roots and was selected to represent the Venezuelan national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Despite the professional ups and downs, Santander remains dedicated to his craft, showcasing the passion, skills, and agility that have made him a cherished asset to his team and inspiration to his fans worldwide.