Anthony Santander, a key hitter for the Orioles over the last few years, has not had a strong start to the 2024 season. However, there is a way for him to turn it around. Anthony Santander has consistently been hitting in the middle of the Orioles lineup for the last few years. In 2023, Santander broke out, slugging 28 homers and hitting for a .257 Batting Average. It was a very impressive season, and Santander was a key reason the Orioles won the American League East for the first time since 2014. But 2024 has been a different story so far. Santander has struggled at the plate and looked nothing like his 2023 self.
What’s Wrong With Anthony Santander?
The stats for Santander have been poor. He has a measly .211 Batting Average and has hit just four home runs. Let’s look at the advanced stats that would cause concern among Orioles fans. Santander’s hard-hit percentage has taken a giant hit. It has dropped nearly 14% this season, to 32.6%. This shows that Santander is not even hitting the ball hard on his outs. Not only has his hard-hit percentage seen such a staunch drop-off, but his barrel percentage is also down to just 4.6%, as opposed to the respectable 10.2 % he put up in 2023. Another big dip in Santander’s play has been his inability to hit fastballs this year. After having a .502 Slugging Percentage against fastballs last year, he has just a .278 against fastballs this year. Clearly, Santander is not seeing the ball as well as he has in the past and needs to make an adjustment.
The Positive Side To A Slow Start
Despite the slow start, fans can still find some positives in Santander’s play. Back on April 27, Santander had the hardest-hit ball of his career.
Anthony Santander’s RBI double in the 4th had an exit velocity of 113.5 mph, per Statcast. It’s the #Orioles OF’s hardest hit of his 8-year MLB career.
Previous hardest was a 113.2 mph single on 8/2/20. pic.twitter.com/PNoAxTmh4r
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) April 27, 2024
Obviously, Santander can still smash the baseball; he has just yet to do it consistently for the Orioles. Also, Santander has much improved his ability to hit offspeed pitches. On offspeed pitches Santander has put into play, he is 9-19, which is an impressive .474 Batting Average. In 2023, Santander hit just .224 against offspeed pitches.
If he can sustain this improvement while regaining his ability to hit fastballs, Santander could become an even more dangerous hitter than he was in previous years. Another thing to consider is that baseball is a long season with many ups and downs. Santander still has plenty of time left to turn things around and regain his role as a big-time power threat in the middle of the Orioles lineup.
Main Photo Credits: James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports
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