How Blue Jays' Anthony Santander is establishing his presence on team

SARASOTA, Fla. — A little-known fact about Anthony Santander: He loves to play chess.

Two years ago, he introduced then-Baltimore Orioles teammate Jorge Mateo to the board game and a rivalry was born. 

"I didn't really know too much about it but once I became comfortable with it, I got really competitive," Mateo said through Orioles interpreter Brandon Lee Quinones.

Before long, Mateo and Santander would be engaged in heated matches inside the Orioles clubhouse. However, Mateo won't say if he’s a better chess player than his friend. 

"We beat each other," he said with a sheepish grin. 

The two remain close but they'll have to engage in an online version of the game since Santander joined the Toronto Blue Jays in the off-season.  

The Blue Jays didn't just gain an impact hitter when they signed Santander. They also added a player renowned for his clubhouse presence and subtracted that from one of their division rivals.

"He's one of my favourite players I've ever had or ever been around," said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. "He's got a great personality, he's funny and easygoing, but he's also super competitive and intense."

There was undoubtedly some emotion inside Ed Smith Stadium on Tuesday evening with Santander batting third for the visiting Blue Jays against his former team. Orioles fans greeted the left-fielder with a nice applause when he came up to the plate in the first inning. 

Before signing Santander, the Blue Jays did their research on the type of person he is. They asked the Orioles and the reports that came back were glowing. 

"He's kind of exceeded them a little bit with the type of person that he is," said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. "And when you get to know him and you get to talking about what's important to him, which is not his personal stats or his 44 homers last year or his contract he signed. 

“What's important to him is winning."

Santander is as friendly and welcoming as any player around. When you have a conversation with him, he comes across as thoughtful, present and engaged. When discussing the topic of the clubhouse, it's apparent that it means something to Santander. 

"I always say, 'To be able to go out there and compete together, we need to be good here,'" Santander said. 

Having now spent over a month in Blue Jays camp, the 30-year-old Venezuelan says he's integrating nicely into his new clubhouse. The players have been welcoming, he notes, and he's taking the time to learn about the different personalities in the room. 

Santander, who signed a five-year, $92.5-million deal in January, says his approach to building relationships with new teammates involves being direct in his conversations. When he first arrived at the Blue Jays' player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., he made sure to talk to players right away to get a sense of who they are on a deeper level.

He loves that particular aspect of relationship building.

"It's not a talent but it is like an instinct that I have," said Santander. "I can talk for a couple of days with them and kind of have an idea what kind of person they are."

Mateo, the Orioles infielder, says Santander is adept at reading the room. 

"He's very conscious of everything that's going on," said Mateo. "If you don't have a good moment in the game, he was like, 'Hey, you'll be fine. It's going to be OK.' He's always asking, 'Hey, how's your family doing?' 

"He's very good at knowing when someone needs something. He's very intelligent in that sense." 

Having played his entire eight-year career with the Orioles, Santander became familiar with some players on the American League East-rival Blue Jays. Schneider says he's enjoyed learning about Santander's perspective on things from the other side of the field. 

The manager declined to offer specifics but joked that when Santander used to stand at the plate and offer an elongated stare into the opposing dugout, he hated it. 

"I wanted to punch him in the face every time he did that the last couple of years," said Schneider. "Now, I love when he does it."

Santander recalls having competitive at-bats against Blue Jays pitchers Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios and notes that he admired them from afar and always figured they were the the clubhouse leader-types. Now that he shares a space with them, he's able to confirm that.

"I was right," said Santander with a smile. "They really got that.

"I know pretty much most of the guys from playing against them," he adds. "But now, being in the same clubhouse, I have a chance to know a little bit more about them and build that family [bond] because we're going to be together the next eight months."