As he’s coming into his own as a rookie leaguer, Orioles corner prospect Anderson De Los Santos is showing what kind of player he’ll be as he progresses. “DeLos’” game is more solid then superstar type as of now, but the baseball acumen he’s displayed shows he can learn very fast, a tenet of the modern Oriole Way™️.
Let’s take a look at what the 18-year-old brings to the table from a scouting perspective.
HIT 60
His best skill at the plate is meeting the pitch at its apex. The plane is currently flat and not yet consistent but powered by immense core strength. Making contact with the barrel comes naturally. Hands make adjustments more than wrists. Great, great hips. Positive K/BB rates as a 17-yr-old demonstrate strike zone judgement is an area of strength.
POWER 50
At this stage of development hitting the ball over the fence isn’t an in-game aspect of his arsenal. He’s a teenager who had 11 XBH in his Dominican Summer League debut, so there’s every expectation that it’ll come as he develops physically. Opening up upon contact, it’s clear that his lower and upper body are athletically coordinated. Standout front leg stiffness as hip turn initiates shows a structural foundation for power.
FIELD 55
He’s reduced his errors at 3rd significantly and they’re all of the throwing variety. He gets to everything hit near him, occasionally rushing throws, but 10 errors last year have been reduced to an acceptable three. After a few games of protecting the line without compounding plays into worse situations, yet not getting outs, it wasn’t enough. Immediately repaired, a more up to speed internal clock has been shown. On the grass or deep in the hole he’s operating with pace and less wasted motion, a fundamental based foundation to build on. This time last year was 45 with questions about moving to the outfield.
ARM 60
More advanced than his glove is De Los Santos’ throwing arm. Helped by a well-built core and flexible middle he gets into throwing position with ease. Motion is fluid yet brief. Release is measured with high degree of accuracy. Throws come in above the belt consistently. Matches internal clock and speed deftly for a teenager.
RUN 60
Explosive around the corners. Tight turns at the bases. Better than average acceleration. Aggressive sliding into bases. Consistently hard runner.
Physical
6 feet tall. Enough room in legs, shoulders and chest to add baseball strength. Thicker build to begin with.
