Santander proves to be right Rule 5 choice

The rumors began a few months prior to the 2016 Rule 5 draft. The Orioles had interest in a young outfielder in the Indians' farm system who put up gaudy statistics over the summer.

In high Class A ball. With a shoulder that could require surgery. And with concerns that he may be reduced to a designated hitter role after regaining his health.

The enthusiasm for him wasn't unanimous.

Former executive Dan Duquette stuck to his reports, tuned out the critics and made certain that the Orioles chose Anthony Santander - their second selection after outfielder Aneury Tavárez, who came from the Red Sox organization.

Duquette compared Santander to Victor Martinez.

We'll find out later if he undersold the kid.

Those were the only moves made by the club at the meetings, held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor. The Rule 5 draft won't get you to the podium, but it gives the beat crew something to do other than chase rumors.

Tavárez offered the elements of speed and athleticism that appeared to make him the favorite, along with his positioning ahead of Santander in the draft, but the Orioles returned him to the Red Sox. They believed that Cedric Mullins offered the same skill set.

They didn't really have anyone like Santander, who batted .290/.368/.494 with 20 home runs and 95 RBIs at Lynchburg.

"He's an excellent young hitter," Duquette said at the time. "He was the best offensive player in the Carolina League. We like his capability to hit in the big leagues, to hit from both sides of the plate for power. ... At 22 years old we think there's enough ability there, particularly with the bat, to take a chance on him and get him into our organization."

I remember the criticism over choosing a player with a bad shoulder and no position who many believed wouldn't be able to make the jump from the Carolina League. Santander had the surgery, hit the predicted bumps in the road and almost disappeared at Double-A Bowie, where he slashed .258/.293/.402 in 54 games in 2018.

Time and hard work have embedded Santander in the Orioles' lineup. He totaled 20 doubles and 20 home runs last summer after earning a promotion, but faded down the stretch and tried to fight through some shoulder discomfort. Manager Brandon Hyde keeps batting Santander second this year and putting him in right field, where the defensive reputation in the low minors has been buried.

"I didn't know who he was before 2019 spring training," said Hyde, who watched Santander hit .333/.389/.697 with six doubles and two home runs in 18 Grapefruit League games, but fail to make the club.

"I was really impressed with the way he swung the bat in spring training last year and liked the way he played the outfield. Thought it was really interesting, this Rule 5 pick, a switch-hitter that hit line drives to all fields. I liked the athleticism, I liked the defense. I was hoping he'd get off to a good start in Triple-A and he didn't really dominate, and I was disappointed in that because I thought he'd be a big help for us, just from what I saw in spring training. And eventually he got to us and he hasn't looked back.

"This guy takes really good at-bats, plays a really solid outfield. I played him out of position in center field last year and he held his own. He's a really solid corner outfielder, and I think the sky's the limit here with what kind of player he can be."

The Orioles optioned Santander last spring in order to give him more at-bats and outfield reps at the Triple-A level. He reported late to summer training camp last month after testing positive for COVID-19, made the opening day roster and has shown improvement in multiple areas, including his .548 slugging percentage before yesterday, though his .289 on-base percentage was lower than last year's .297.

"I see a little better strike-zone judgement, better discipline at the plate," Hyde said. "I felt last year at times he was pretty predictable, from my standpoint, how they were going to pitch him and I thought he struggled a little bit with that, but if they made a mistake he was on time with it. I see a little bit better discipline at the plate and that's really the next step for him, really, is just to zone in, understand the strike zone just a little bit better, understand what he can and can't drive, understand how to look one part of the plate or the other and not chase the breaking ball down to put himself in a hole offensively.

"I think you see bits and pieces of that, but when that comes he's going to be really good and he's going to be a really tough out. You're going to see the walks go up, you're going to see him in more hitter's counts. Because when he's in hitter's counts he puts a good swing on it. I just love the way he uses the whole field from both sides, and you saw that last series. Even though he didn't get rewarded for three or four balls hit to left, he smoked a couple balls to left field, which is a great sign. He's staying on the ball. Just been impressive with his at-bats and I think he's going to continue to improve."

The streak of RBIs extended to eight straight games last night with a solo home run in the first inning. Thirteen of Santander's 20 hits have gone for extra bases.

Santander's had 24 hard-hit balls (95-plus mph) and was 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position before failing twice last night.

"I feel very good," Santander said yesterday via translator Ramón Alarcón. "I think it's a tribute to the everyday work that I'm doing, coming in early and preparing for the game. It feels extremely good to help my team."

Santander's 20 RBIs put him in a four-way tie for the major league lead, a group that included Aaron Judge, who went on the disabled list with a strained calf muscle. Santander ripped a three-run double into right-center field off Jake Arrieta Thursday to move the Orioles ahead of the Phillies.

"I think I'm ready to hit good pitches, I'm trying to eliminate swinging at bad pitches. And just being ready to compete," Santander said.

"Once you're able to eliminate swinging at bad pitches, I think you put yourself in a better position."

So whatever happened to Tavárez?

He still hasn't busted through the Triple-A ceiling and spent most of 2019 in Mexico after the Red Sox released him in May.

The Orioles made the right call. In selecting Santander and holding onto him.