Remembering a time when Anthony Santander tried to make it as a pitcher

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Watching the Orioles' Anthony Santander hit rockets around various ballparks in the second half of this season, it might be hard to imagine a day he tried to make it as a pitcher. Or a day when he was not a switch-hitter.

But on a pregame interview yesterday on the Orioles Radio Network, Santander told me that as a teenager in Venezuela, he was trying to get a pro contract as a pitcher. And he didn't come to switch-hitting until a year before he entered pro ball.

"I started hitting left-handed when I was 15 years old. A year before I signed at 16. My agent at that moment made that suggestion. I was training as a pitcher and then there was a switch in position. They moved me to the outfield. So, in the outfield they suggested that I needed to add another tool, so I could be more valuable and impact the game more. So that is when switch-hitting all started," Santander said through translator Ramón Alarcón.

At age 14, Santander could touch the mid 80s already and he was expecting then to enter pro ball on the mound.

"Before I signed I was trying out as a pitcher and hoped to sign as a pitcher. But once I entered the academy to train and did tryouts, the position change came. So I just needed to be more valuable. I took a risk and it paid off," Santander said.

The Orioles took a risk on him - selecting him as a Rule 5 pick on Dec. 8, 2016 - and now it is paying off for them.

Santander slugged homers from both sides of plate Saturday night in Kanas City. It's the 15th time an Oriole has done that, first since Matt Wieters did it Oct. 2, 2016.

According to STATS, Santander is the youngest Orioles player (24 years, 316 days) to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game since a 23-year-old Eddie Murray did so on Aug. 29, 1979. His 12 homers in 47 games since the All-Star break match Trey Mancini for the team lead. His 16 homers are most by an Orioles outfielder at age 24 or younger since Adam Jones (19) in 2010.

Santander said feeling comfortable on the team and in the clubhouse can help him play well on the field and manager Brandon Hyde agrees with that.

"I feel very comfortable," Santander said. "This is a good group of guys, young guys. Hopefully we continue to stay together and compete and win some games hopefully for the next few years."

Hyde said: "It was really important for us to create an atmosphere here where guys can be themselves. When guys get to the big leagues you want them to fit in and feel comfortable right away so they can perform. I think that's really important. It's not easy creating a great clubhouse when your team is not winning. That's a challenge. But I feel strong about it that we have an atmosphere here where guys enjoy being around each other. The clubhouse is always in a good mood and guys enjoy being at the ballpark. It's not like that everywhere. Tony is fitting right in and he's going to be an integral part of this organization going forward."

In 75 games this year, Santander is now batting .293/.330/.523 with 19 doubles, a triple, 16 homers, 47 RBIs and an OPS of .854.

Over his last six games he is 13-for-25 (.520) with three doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs. He had driven in a run in five straight games (with 11 RBIs) until that streak ended in Sunday's 6-4 loss at Kauffman Stadium.

But right now he's looking like a player with a bright future in Baltimore.

"I would think so," Hyde said. "It's early in his career and guys are going to make adjustments to him. But yeah, he's really swinging the bat well and playing great. Showing he has power from both sides of the plate and I like his line drive swing. He's only going to get better. We are all excited about the start that he's had to his career."

Bowie is in: On the next to last day of the minor league regular season, Double-A Bowie lost at Richmond Sunday. But the Baysox would make the playoffs if Erie lost and they did. So the Baysox have advanced to the Eastern League playoffs for the eighth time and fourth in the last eight years, also going in 2012, 2015 (they won the championship) and 2017.

Bowie will host Harrisburg in the first two games of a best-of-five league semi-final series on Wednesday and Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at Prince George's Stadium. Go to baysox.com for ticket info.

Short-season Single-A Aberdeen needs help but they go to the final day with a shot to be the New York-Penn League wild card team. Aberdeen needs both a win at Hudson Valley today at 2:05 p.m. and they also need a Brooklyn loss at Staten Island. If both happen, they tie with records of 42-33 and Aberdeen wins the tiebreaker. If Aberdeen does advance the IronBirds will have a home game Wednesday night to begin a best-of-three league semi-final series.

YOUR 2019 SECOND HALF WESTERN DIVISION CHAMPIONS!!!! pic.twitter.com/2mESHUVIJn

-- Bowie Baysox (@BowieBaysox) September 2, 2019