Anthony Santander & The History Of Switch-Hitters In Toronto

It feels like the deal with Anthony Santander is a long time coming, so the benefits and detriments of adding Santander into the Jays’ lineup have been written about and discussed for weeks. I think one of the things I’m most excited about, as cosmetic as it may seem in the game today, is adding an impact switch-hitter onto the team. Santander feels like the first switch-hitting threat for the Blue Jays since Kendrys Morales (apologies to Yangervis Solarte).

As of the close of the 2024 season, the Blue Jays have employed 939 players throughout their history. Only 72 of those 939 have been switch-hitters (this includes twelve pitchers, none of whom ever swung a bat for the Jays). As such, switch-hitters make up just 7.68% of all people who have suited up for the Blue Jays. Most of the 60-position player switch-hitters in franchise history were not on the team for long, and many were underwhelming at the plate. Though, for every Dave McKay and Ray Olmedo in the switch-hitting ranks, there is the occasional Roberto Alomar, Rubén Sierra, and Devon White – diamonds in the both-ways rough. Random switch-hitting trivia tidbit: the Blue Jays have had at least one switch-hitter on the team every year, except for a three-season stretch from 2009 to 2011.

I thought it might be fun to look at all the switch-hitters in franchise history and see how Santander stacks up. As it seems to be one of the better catch-alls for offensive bombast, I've ranked each switch-hitter based on their career wRC+ (listed next to each name in parentheses). Of course, Santander is in the middle of his career, as are a few players on the following list, so take into account that he is sure to undergo some pro- and regression during the lifespan of his contract with the Jays and beyond. Maybe I'll update this list and check in again once Santander retires. For now, let's just use this list as a nice snapshot in time and accept Santander's current wRC+ as an accurate representation of his abilities throughout his career. Current players are listed in bold.

1. John Hattig (128) (This was achieved over only 29 plate appearances, so...grain of salt.)

2. Roberto Alomar (118)

3. Anthony Santander (113)

4. Lee Mazzilli (112)

   Tony Phillips (112)

5. Dave Hollins (110)

   Kendrys Morales (110)

   David Segui (110)

6. Orlando Merced (107)

7. José Reyes (103)

   Justin Smoak (103)

8. Tony Fernández (102)

   Mitch Webster (102)

   Mark Whiten (102)

9. Melky Cabrera (101)

   José Cruz (101)

   Bobby Kielty (101)

   Rubén Sierra (101)

10. Junior Félix (98)

    Orlando Hudson (98)

    Devon White (98)

11. Yangervis Solarte (97)

12. Mookie Wilson (96)

13. Dave Collins (95)

14. Brian McRae (94)

    Jonathan Villar (94)

15. Alan Ashby (92)

    Gregg Zaun (92)

16. Maicer Izturis (91)

    Felipe López (91)

17. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (90)

18. Turner Ward (88)

19. Jonatan Clase (87)

20. Felipe Crespo (84)

    Nelson Liriano (84)

21. Dioner Navarro (83)

    Dalton Pompey (83)

    Omar Vizquel (83)

22. Otis Nixon (81)

23. Bobby Brown (80)

    Freddy Galvis (80)

24. Cliff Pennington (79)

    Darnell Sweeney (79)

25. Jimmy Paredes (77)

26. Emilio Bonifácio (76)

27. Steward Berroa (74)

28. Manny Lee (73)

29. Richard Ureña (72)

30. Breyvic Valera (70)

31. Domingo Cedeño (67)

    Alen Hanson (67)

32. Alfredo Griffin (65)

    Tyler Heineman (65)

33. César Izturis (61)

    Tomás Pérez (61)

34. Dave McKay (60)

    Brian Simmons (60)

35. Ray Olmedo (47)

36. Chris Latham (45)

37. Luis Figueroa (-32)

38. Ted Wilborn (-39)

And because I know you're all just itching to know, here are the Blue Jays' plate-appearance-less switch-hitting pitchers (I'll be kind and not list each pitcher's career wRC+):

• Steve Cummings
• Huck Flener
• Lucas Harrell
• John Hudek
• Gary Lavelle
• Mickey Mahler
• Tomo Ohka
• Mike Romano
• Glenn Sparkman
• Drew Storen
• Pat Venditte
• Victor Zambrano

So there Santander sits at the top of the leaderboard, just behind Roberto Alomar and John Hattig, a September call-up who collected eight hits (only one for extra bases) and five walks over twenty-nine plate appearances. If we eliminate Hattig, Santander slots in as the second-best switch-hitter by wRC+ employed by the Blue Jays. And with Santander's 2025 ZIPs projection penciling him in for a 122 wRC+ this season, he stands a good chance to inch closer to Alomar on the above list.

Switch-hitting is a dying art, arguably not nearly as valued a skill as it once was. But for someone who still relishes the discourse around Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray, or Chipper Jones and whose all-time favourite ballplayer is Bernie Williams, switch-hitting still tugs at this old head's heartstrings. Over the past few years, I've often lamented some of the Jays' lineup inflexibility. Remember 2022 and the seemingly entirely right-handed lineup that sometimes felt all too easy to game plan against? Or the clumps of righties who continue to occupy the top of the order without a good enough lefty to break them up? I've often felt that an impact switchie would be sweet relief for those managing lineup construction. For all that Santander can bring to this team, rightly or wrongly, his ambidexterity is the attribute I am most excited about.