SEATTLE — Ramón Urías surveyed the Orioles’ clubhouse as he pondered the question.
Who would win a home run-hitting contest among solely Orioles players?
“Oof,” Urías said as he took five seconds to contemplate his answer. “Probably Santander. Yeah, I think it’s him.”
Orioles superstar Gunnar Henderson has already confirmed that he is participating in MLB’s Home Run Derby in Arlington, Texas, on July 15. But should Anthony Santander, on an impressive power pace himself, be given the opportunity to join Henderson?
“For sure. I think he deserves it,” Urías said. “I hope he can make it because it would be fun having these two in the Home Run Derby.”
Urías isn’t alone in his hope that Santander will also be asked to participate, but manager Brandon Hyde’s main wish is for his switch-hitting slugger to be picked as an All-Star.
“Would love to see him in the game. Can we advocate for that?” Hyde said. “I’d love to see him in Texas, whether it’s the Derby, the game or both.”
It hasn’t been common in recent years for MLB to have two players from the same team in the Derby, but Santander has a credible case. He’s fifth in the majors with 22 home runs, behind only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, Henderson, Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani and Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez. If he maintains his current pace, Santander will hit 42 homers, nine more than his career-high of 33 in 2022. That tally would be the eighth most by an Orioles player in franchise history.
“It would be pretty awesome,” Henderson said of Santander joining him for the contest at the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field. “We kind of do small competitions out there. It would definitely be cool to kind of go head to head with him out there.”
This season isn’t a fluke for Santander. The 29-year-old has hit 132 home runs since 2019. He led all switch-hitters in 2022 and blasted 28 more last year. Over the past three seasons, only 10 hitters have clubbed more big flies than Santander’s 83.
Since the event’s inception in 1985, a team has sent two players to the Derby 16 times. Baltimore has done so twice with Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray in 1985 and Miguel Tejada and Rafael Palmeiro in 2004. The last team to send two was Javier Báez and Kyle Schwarber from the Chicago Cubs in 2018. While it’s been six years, Baltimore is a logical choice to send two batters, as the Orioles lead the majors in homer runs with 139 and have seven batters in double digits.
“I would love to see Tony there,” pitcher Cole Irvin said. “I’d love to see any of our guys in the Home Run Derby. I think our guys would put on a show with how well they’ve been swinging the bats this year. I think he’d do really well if he wanted to.”
Henderson made clear early in the season that he’d be one of the majors’ best home run hitters this year with 10 long balls combined in March and April. The 23-year-old shortstop’s 26 homers rank third in the sport, behind only Ohtani’s 27, behind only Judge’s 32.
Urías said no one in the Orioles’ clubhouse is surprised by Henderson’s power surge this season, noting his “raw power” is as strong as anyone on the team. In his American League Rookie of the Year campaign last season, the 2019 second-round pick slugged 28 home runs — a total he will likely surpass before this year’s All-Star break.
“At the beginning of the year in spring training, we were talking with [Jorge] Mateo, we were saying for sure that he was going to hit 40,” Urías said. “I’m not surprised by the season he’s having. I hope he can stay healthy and keep doing it the whole year.”
It seemed like simply a formality when Henderson announced while mic’d up during ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” that he’d take part in the showcase. He is the first player announced to be participating.
“I’m excited for him. I’m definitely going to be watching,” Irvin said. “With how Gunn and I have gotten a little closer this year, I’m really looking forward to watching Gunn hit some bombs. It’ll be fun.”
Henderson entered June with nine more home runs than Santander, but the right fielder closed that gap with one of the best power months in Orioles history. He clobbered 13 homers in 28 games, clearing the fence in a whopping 11.8% of his at-bats.
Santander, who is a free agent after this season, was hitting .211 with a mediocre .712 OPS at the end of May, not unusual as the Venezuela native normally starts seasons slow. As the weather warmed, so did his bat, and now he’s hitting .234 with an .805 OPS.
“That’s one of the better months I’ve ever seen somebody have, what he just did,” Hyde said. “The way he’s playing defense, the way he’s swinging the bat. He’s got huge power, so the Derby would be right up his alley. He’d do really well, but he’s played like an All-Star, also.”
Henderson will be the 14th Orioles player to participate in the Home Run Derby since 1985. Baltimore batters have performed well during the Hyde era, with Trey Mancini making the finals in 2021 and Adley Rutschman putting on a staggering switch-hitting show in the first round last summer.
If Santander is invited, he could do the same.
“He can definitely do both,” Urías said. “He’s a little bit of a different hitter on both sides of the plate, but he can still hit for power as a right-hander.”
“I think Tony being a switch-hitter would help him,” Irvin said, “because if he gets tired on one side he could go to the other, that would be his benefit.”
However, like Camden Yards, Globe Life Field favors left-handed hitters with a shorter porch in right field, and Santander is a better home run hitter from the left side than the right.
“Especially in Texas, he’d probably go lefty,” Henderson said.
With the Derby, though, comes concern about the player’s health and swing path for the second half. Henderson has played all but one of the Orioles’ 85 games this season, and Hyde hopes he’s still able to get the proper rest the All-Star break is meant to provide. But the sixth-year skipper’s excitement for Henderson far outweighs his worries.
“How can you turn down that opportunity?” Hyde said. “He deserves it. He represents us so well, so we’re excited for him.”
Whether Santander will also represent Baltimore at the Home Run Derby remains to be seen.
