It feels like it’s an Anthony Santander time of year. Without fail, it seems like every year, Santander gets hot and warrants the attention of the fantasy baseball world and this season is no different. Over the last two weeks, Santander has the second-highest slugging percentage of any outfielder in MLB, and we need to consider if he is a player who is worth adding to your lineup. The difference this year is it looks like he has moved from being on the fantasy baseball fringes to having what could be a career year as he's already surpassed his home run total from last season in 13 fewer games. He is only one home run away from his career high that he set in 2019, where he hit 20 home runs.

So let’s take a look at what might be causing him to have such a great year to understand if he is not only a good add for the rest of this season but also a player we should be considering for next season as well.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Player Spotlight: Anthony Santander

We have seen what appears to be growing in Santander’s plate discipline this season. He has increased his walk rate by three percent, while also decreasing his strikeout rate by nearly five percent last year. While those two stats on their own don’t always make for the biggest impact in fantasy baseball, they are important numbers as they support the player putting the ball in play more often(striking out less) which allows them to get on base more, as with the obvious statement of walking more allows you to be on base more. These items in turn give the player more opportunities to steal bases and score runs which are categories we do care about.

 

Santander's Advanced Statistics

The rest of Santander’s numbers all appear to be sustainable and largely in line with what he has done during his career. His batting average is close to his 2018 and 2019 career high of .261, his xBA is within a few points of his actual batting average, and his XSLG and slugging percentage are also very similar which indicates that he isn’t playing above or below his normal production.

 

 

 

When you dig into other advanced metrics we continue to see numbers that are in line with his career numbers whether that be his home run to play ball rate, launch angle, barrel percentage — you name it. Nothing really jumps off the page as being different, which really does point to everything we are seeing being sustainable, and the growth we are seeing from him coming from getting more playing time. Santander is only 26 plate appearances away from hitting his career high from last year and if he hits his projected number of home runs with his remaining games to play, he will finish the season with a very solid season of 27 home runs, 70 runs, and 85 RBI. While those aren’t OF1 or OF2 numbers, getting that type of production from a player you are likely going to have either picked up on waivers this season or drafted very late (his FantasyPros ADP was 299 last season) is great.

 

Santander's Outlook Heading into 2023

Looking forward to next season, Santander is likely going to be a player who continues to get overlooked playing in Baltimore. I suspect he will still be a player available in many drafts between pick 150 and 200, which is still a place where he can hit value especially as the Orioles continue to grow into more of a contending team. There is a very good chance that he will continue to see at-bats near the top of the lineup.

 

 

 

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