MLB players who’ve played for Blue Jays and Orioles: How does Anthony Santander rank?

When Anthony Santander steps up to the plate on March 27 at Rogers Centre, he’ll be seeing a lot of familiar faces out on the field. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Baltimore Orioles for a four-game series to open the year, and it will be Santander’s first chance to make an impact for Toronto in this AL East rivalry. Barring any further moves this offseason, he will be the 102nd player in MLB history to suit up for both clubs, but could he be the best of that group?

The short answer is, unless he suddenly turns into a Hall of Fame candidate, then no. It’s very unlikely Santander will ever surpass the contributions of Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar. In his nine seasons in Baltimore and Toronto combined, Alomar accumulated more than half his career WAR while earning seven Gold Glove Awards, two Silver Sluggers, and eight All-Star appearances, not to mention two World Series rings in Toronto and two trips to the ALCS in Baltimore. It will be insanely difficult to match Alomar’s impact.

But, on the bright side, Santander could very easily be the runner-up. Here is a list of the top eight players and their success with both teams.

Jose Bautista: Combined WAR of 38.1. 38.3 with TOR (2008-17), -0.2 with BAL (2004).

Roberto Alomar: Combined WAR of 34.8. 22.3 with TOR (1991-95), 12.5 with BAL (1996-98).

Ernie Whitt: Combined WAR of 19.4. 19.2 with TOR (1979-1989), 0.2 with BAL (1991).

Mike Bordick: Combined WAR of 16.2. 1.7 with TOR (2003), 14.5 with BAL (1997-02).

Gregg Zaun: Combined WAR of 12.1. 10.8 with TOR (2004-08), 1.3 with BAL (1995 and 2009).

Tony Batista: Combined WAR of 10.8. 6.0 with TOR (1999-01), 4.8 with BAL (2001-2003).

Joe Carter: Combined WAR of 7.8. 8.5 with TOR (1991-97), -0.7with BAL (1998).

Steve Pearce: Combined WAR of 7.8. 0.6 with TOR (2017-2018), 6.9 with BAL (2012-16).

MLB players who’ve played for Blue Jays and Orioles: Is Anthony Santander the best?

Right away, we can whittle Santander’s competition down to three players; Zaun, Batista and Pearce, since Bautista, Whitt, and Carter spent just one year or less in Baltimore, and Bordick was only in Toronto for a season.

Pearce gives Santander his biggest competition on the Orioles side. While Santander has Pearce, Batista and Zaun beat in WAR (11.1) as an Oriole, Pearce’s 6.9 WAR, while hitting the home run that clinched the AL East Title in 2014, will be remembered fondly by O’s fans.

But Santander also has some memorable clutch moments himself, including some big, late-season home runs in 2023 and 2024.

In Toronto, Pearce’s biggest contributions came in the span of four days. In terms of being the best to play for both teams (Alomar excluded), Santander will have to match or improve upon the WARs of Batista and Zaun. Batista had an .808 OPS in Toronto and hit 41 home runs in 2000, making one of two All-Star appearances (coincidentally, he went to the All-Star Game as a member of the Orioles in 2002). Zaun accumulated a double-digit WAR, combining an above-average glove behind the plate with some steady offensive seasons that included an above league-average strikeout rate of 3.8% in his five years in Toronto.

While Batista and Zaun had good years with the Blue Jays, they didn’t quite match that in Baltimore, whereas Pearce had better success in the opposite uniform. It’s not inconceivable that Santander could surpass what this trio did if he continues to produce and helps the team find some postseason success. If that happens, there will be an argument for Santander as the runner-up best player to play for both the Blue Jays and the Orioles.