Baltimore Orioles Slugger Finally Back On Track After Brutal Start

The Baltimore Orioles are off to one of their best starts in decades, and they've been doing it despite getting relatively limited production from their outfield.

Left fielder Austin Hays has floundered for most of the season, losing playing time to Colton Cowser (who's cooled off after a hot start) as a result. Center fielder Cedric Mullins is batting well below the Mendoza Line and has been one of the worst offensive players in baseball.

Until recently, right fielder Anthony Santander was having a terrible season as well. After clobbering 28 home runs with a career-high 95 RBIs and a .797 OPS last year, Santander was largely ineffectve for the first two months of 2024. Through May 22, he was batting just .206/.283/.412 with nearly as many strikeouts (32) as hits (34) over his first 44 games. Bad luck played a major role in those struggles, as his BABIP during that stretch was a mere .213.

Over the last few weeks, however, Santander has finally turned his season around. Over his past 16 games dating back to May 23, the 29-year-old has smashed seven home runs and two doubles, slashing .283/.368/.667 with 11 RBIs and an improved .250 BABIP during that stretch. He's also hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, bringing his season batting line up to .227/.306/.480 with 14 homers and 37 RBIs in 60 games.

On May 24, Anthony Santander was hitting .202 with a .696 OPS. Here's what he's done in the 14 games since:

.327 BA
.411 OBP
.714 SLG
1.125 OPS

With 6 homers in that stretch, Santander has 14 on the year & is on pace to hit 35.

Tony won’t stop tatering. pic.twitter.com/WhdsjLeC3j
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) June 9, 2024

The Orioles have surged as a result, going 12-4 during Santander's hot streak, including 6-1 in games where he's homered. Along with Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Corbin Burnes, he's helped carry the team during one of its most pivotal stretches of the season.

Credit manager Brandon Hyde for not panicking and letting Santander work through his struggles. Hyde dropped him from cleanup to fifth to take some pressure off and gave him a few off days to clear his head, but didn't bench him or do anything drastic that could have damaged Santander's confidence.

A few weeks ago, Baltimore fans were wondering if Santander would be able to be a productive everyday player for the 2024 Orioles. Now, the question is whether anyone can get him out.