With the Baltimore Orioles undoubtedly soon to be sellers at the July 31 trade deadline, the future is, almost now, which brought my attention to top prospect Samuel Basallo.
Basallo, currently at Triple-A Norfolk, figures into the future in Charm City, as GM Mike Elias looks to get the O’s back in contention for 2026.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Basallo this past weekend at Harbor Park, where the Tides hosted the Syracuse Mets.
MLB.com has Basallo rated as one of the Top 10 prospects in MiLB, and being very close to making it to Baltimore.
Even though the Orioles have four catchers on the injured list, Basallo has remained in Tidewater this summer to continue his development.
But with the trade deadline getting closer, there’s considerable talk about Basallo heading north soon.
When I asked Basallo if he was hearing the chatter about him getting the call-up, here was his reply: “I’m here doing my work. I block that out and stay focused on doing what I need to do.”
OK, I mean, what else was he going to say?
Basallo, who is from the Dominican Republic, has had a solid season with the Tides, slugging 19 home runs with a .264 batting average and .974 OPS.
Drafted in 2023 at the age of 18, Basallo was brought into the organization as a catcher. However, despite his stellar play behind the plate, where he will play in the Majors remains a question.
Adley Rutschman still figures to be the starting catcher for the Orioles in the coming years, so moving to another position, such as first base, could be the path to Baltimore for Basallo.
Dealing with a slight oblique strain. Basallo was not in the lineup this past weekend for Norfolk, so I was unable to watch him bat or field. However, from speaking with a couple of other Tides players, it appears that Basallo is a star in the making.
Former Oriole reliever Cionel Perez, who pitched for the Orioles this season and is now on the Norfolk roster, said that Basallo is ready to hit Major League pitching now.
“Oh, he’s good. There’s a lot of major-league pitching in this league (Triple-A International League), and he hits them all. He never stops working. Right now, it’s just when the club feels he’s ready to go up,” said Perez.
The primary concern now for Basallo is the “slight” oblique strain.
You can’t blame any Orioles fan for panicking when hearing about another injury to a catcher.
The curse that has been on Oriole catchers this season has found its way down to the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and into the Tides clubhouse.
When I asked about the injury, Basallo took the toe the line company policy on not discussing injuries, saying, “It’s day to day, we’ll see.”
On Saturday, a miserably hot afternoon in Norfolk, the Tides completed a suspended Friday night game with the Mets, and then the regularly scheduled game followed.
Basallo was in street clothes for the suspended contest and in uniform for the scheduled contest, but did not play.
Around the Tides clubhouse, Basallo has been dubbed “Little Papi,” a nod to former Major Leaguer David Ortiz, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
Basallo, at 6’4”, 190, looks like he was carved out of granite.
Having spent time observing Triple-A baseball the past few years, I’ve made this observation: most rosters consist of prospects and guys just hanging on, hoping for one more shot at the Majors.
And then there are a few players who you know are ready for The Show.
Basallo is one of those players.
Support AFP
Share
