Anthony Roger Santander (born October 19, 1994) is a Venezuelan professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2017 and was an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Early life

Santander was born on

Margarita Island Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the States of Venezuela, Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the north west coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the ...

, off the Venezuelan coast, but grew up in and feels more connected to the mainland municipality Agua Blanca, where he returns every winter.

Career

Cleveland Indians

Santander signed with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in July 2011. He made his professional debut in 2012 for the Arizona League Indians. From 2013 to 2015 he played for the

Lake County Captains The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following ...

. He injured his right elbow in 2013, and missed part of the 2014 season—when he batted .184/.260/.270 for the Captains—with a right elbow strain. He also played in eight games for the

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

in 2015. Santander spent 2016 with the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinn ...

where he posted a .290

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 20 home runs and 95 RBIs.

Baltimore Orioles

Santander was selected by the

in the 2016

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. He made his major league debut on August 18, 2017, at

Camden Yards Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a ballpark in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the Baseball park#Retro-classic ballparks, "retro" major le ...

, Baltimore against the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

. In 30 at bats he batted .267/.258/.367. Santander became a favorite of over 4,000

scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

and girl guides from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

who had followed their trip to the

World Scout Jamboree The World Scout Jamboree is a Scouting Jamboree (Scouting), jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, typically attended by several tens of thousands of Scouts from around the world, aged 14 to 17. At the jamboree, many scouts sw ...

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by attending the Orioles' 6–5 victory over the

on August 4, 2019. Seated in the left field lower deck right behind him, the scouts boisterously cheered for him whenever he caught a fly ball for almost the entire game after he had thrown a baseball as a souvenir to them early in the contest, and also because they recognised the European bank Santander. The Orioles responded to the exuberance by displaying a message on the center field video board referring to the scouts as the "Official International Anthony Santander Fan Club." He matched teammate Renato Núñez's achievement from eleven days prior with his own first-ever five-hit game in an 8–3 home win over the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

three weeks later on August 25. In 93 games, he hit 20 home runs with 59 runs batted in. In 37 games for the Orioles in 2020, Santander batted .261/.315/.575 with 11

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 32 RBI. He was awarded the 2020 Louis M. Hatter Most Valuable Oriole Award by members of the local media. On February 5, 2021, Santander lost his arbitration hearing against the Orioles and had his 2021 salary set at $2.1 million instead of $2.4 million. In mid-June 2022, Santander was placed on the restricted list ahead of a series in Toronto against the Blue Jays due to being unvaccinated against COVID-19. He tied an MLB record set by

Ken Caminiti Kenneth Gene Caminiti (April 21, 1963 – October 10, 2004) was an American professional baseball third baseman who spent 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Houston Astros (1987–1994, 1999–2000), San Diego Padres (1995–1 ...

in 1996 by hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in a game for the fourth time in a single season in a 13–9 loss to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

on September 27, 2022. He also became the first Orioles player with three multi-homer games in a four-game span. In 2022 he led major league batters in pop up percentage (15.8%), and batted .240/.318/.455 in 574 at bats. On January 13, 2023, Santander agreed to a one-year, $7.4 million contract with the Orioles, avoiding salary arbitration. He achieved his first MLB grand slam and five-RBI game in a 9–4

away Away may refer to: Film and television * ''Away'' (2016 film), a British film directed by David Blair * ''Away'' (2019 film), a Latvian animated silent film by Gints Zilbalodis * Away (2025 film), a drama film by Gerard Oms * ''Away'' (TV series ...

win over the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

on May 5. His seventh-inning slam off Joe Jiménez while batting left-handed was his second home run of the match, both from opposite sides of the plate. He hit a right-handed solo homer off

Max Fried Max Dorian Fried ( ; born January 18, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Atlanta Braves. Fried was selected by the San Diego Padres in the fi ...

in the fourth. On May 15, Santander started his first career game at first base, batting third against the

. His two-run homer off Steven Okert in the first inning of a 5–4 home win over the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

on July 16 was the 100th of his MLB career. In 2023, he batted .257/.325/.472, and had the highest fly ball percentage (49.7%) and the lowest line drive percentage of all AL batters (15.3%). Santander was selected to the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that showcases the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or division, bu ...

for the first time in

. He equaled his career-high five RBI in a pair of Orioles away victories that season over the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

and Texas Rangers on May 5 and July 19 respectively. The first of those two featured his third career grand slam in the ninth off Emilio Pagán. He hit a pair of homers to establish a new career-high in a season with 34 in a 7–3

triumph over the Blue Jays on August 7. He surpassed

Ken Singleton Kenneth Wayne Singleton (born June 10, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and designated hitter from to , most prominently as a member ...

's 1979 franchise record for most homers by a switch-hitter in a season with his 36th off Jake Irvin in a 9–3 home loss to the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

six days later on August 13. In 2024, Santander batted .235/.308/.506 with 44 home runs and 102 RBIs, and led MLB with the highest fly ball percentage, at 54.8%.

Toronto Blue Jays

On January 20, 2025, Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract with the

International career

Santander was selected to the Venezuela national team at the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball tournament and the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It began on March 8, 2023, and ran until March 21. It was originally scheduled to take place in ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Santander, Anthony 1994 births Living people American League All-Stars Arizona League Indians players Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Frederick Keys players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Lake County Captains players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Venezuela 21st-century Venezuelan sportsmen Navegantes del Magallanes players Norfolk Tides players People from Nueva Esparta Tigres de Aragua players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States 2023 World Baseball Classic players