Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo has gone 3-for-10 with a home run and two RBI during his first taste of spring training. He has tallied two RBI and only struck out three times. Basallo is considered not only the top prospect in the Baltimore system but also one of the best in baseball. Last season, he received his first full look at Double-A and posted an excellent .289/.355/.465 slash line with 22 doubles and 16 home runs. He held a 41:85 BB:K ratio and swiped nine bags. This performance earned him a taste of Triple-A where he took a step back as he held a .222/.267/.370 line across 22 contests. At Norfolk, he held a 5:27 BB:K ratio with just three long balls. However, given his progression at spring training, he could be poised to bounce-back at Triple-A in 2025. If he can perform well at this level early in the season, he should push for his MLB debut later this summer.
Samuel Basallo Blasts His First Home Run Of The Spring
Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo hit his first home run of the spring on Thursday in an 11-8 Grapefruit League win over the Blue Jays. The solo blast was a crushed, clearing the scoreboard in center field. He's now 2-for-4 in three spring appearances, but perhaps more notable was that he came off the bench and entered the game defensively at first base, not at catcher. Adley Rutschman is entrenched as Baltimore's starting catcher and the team signed veteran Gary Sanchez in the offseason as the backup, so Basallo's path to playing time is blocked there for now, but his ability to play first base gives the Orioles added lineup flexibility which could get him to the majors sooner rather than later. With a strong spring, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Orioles' top prospect (MLB No. 13) in the majors in 2025, although barring an injury, it won't be an early season call-up. As such, there's no reason to target the left-handed hitter in fantasy drafts unless you're in a deep league with bench space to stash the Dominican.
The Baltimore Orioles announced on Thursday that catching prospect Samuel Basallo will be a non-roster invite at major-league spring training this year. Per MLB Pipeline, Basallo is the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball for the 2025 season. In addition to Basallo, outfield prospects Enrique Bradfield and Dylan Beavers will be at spring training. If Basallo, 20, sticks with the O's long term, he's likely going to have to move to first base or designated hitter with Adley Rutschman blocking him at catcher. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Dominican backstop is considered the top catching prospect in all of baseball. He slashed .278/.341/.449 with a .790 OPS, 19 homers, 65 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 127 games for Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk in 2024. The left-handed hitter has power to all fields and limits his strikeouts. Basallo is projected to make his MLB debut at some point later this year.
Baltimore Not Considering A Trade For Samuel Basallo
According to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports, the Baltimore Orioles are not considering a trade for their top-catching prospect, Samuel Basallo. Basallo was recently tabbed as the sport's top-catching prospect on MLB Pipeline and is one of the budding stars in the Baltimore system. However, the Orioles already have a franchise backstop in Adley Rutschman but still view Basallo as untouchable. Last summer, the 20-year-old spent most of the season with Double-A Bowie and held a .289/.355/.465 line with 22 doubles and 16 home runs. He then earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A, where he took a slight step back with a .222/.267/.370 line. Across these 21 games, he hit just three home runs. However, Basallo has begun to see starts at first base and will likely spend most of his time there when he reaches the major leagues. He should have a good opportunity to debut later this summer.
MLB Pipeline Names Samuel Basallo Top Catching Prospect Entering 2025
MLB Pipeline has tabbed Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo the best at his position entering the 2025 season. The 20-year-old received his first extended look at Double-A ball last summer and performed at an elite level, posting a .289/.355/.465 line. He hit 22 doubles, 16 home runs, and swiped nine bags. He then earned a late-season promotion to Triple-A Norfolk, holding a modest .222/.267/.370 line across a short 21-game stint. In 2023, he spent most of the summer in the lower levels of the Baltimore pipeline and posted a stellar .313/.402/.551 line. Even though Adley Rutschman blocks Basallo from catching duties, he could still have a path to a 2025 debut, as he did see several starts at first base last summer. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his development during spring training and through the early part of the season, as he will likely open the regular season at Triple-A. A second-half promotion is not out of the question if he performs well with the Norfolk Tide. He is a top asset in dynasty formats but is not worth drafting in standard redraft leagues for the time being.
Baltimore Orioles catching/first base prospect Samuel Basallo launched his first home run at Triple-A on Thursday evening. Since joining Triple-A Norfolk, the top prospect has tallied only two hits across his first 14 at-bats and holds a 1:7 BB:K ratio. Earlier this summer at Double-A Bowie, the 20-year-old posted a stellar .289/.355/.465 line with 16 home runs, 55 RBI, and 22 doubles. Since making his Single-A debut in 2023, the backstop has progressed through the minor leagues very quickly and should have a good chance of reaching the majors next season. MLB.com ranks Basallo as the No.2 best prospect in Baltimore and the 10th best in the sport.
A day after making his Triple-A debut, Baltimore Orioles catching/first base prospect Samuel Basallo collected his first hit for Norfolk. Even so, MLB's 11-ranked prospect has gotten off to a rough start in his short two-game tenure with the Tides, going 1-for-8 with five strikeouts. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old is the youngest player in Triple-A and remains another bright spot in the Orioles' future. Over 106 games at Double-A, the Dominican slashed .289/.355/.465 with 16 home runs and even chipped in nine stolen bases. Look for Basallo to potentially make his big league debut next season and he'll likely end up as a "must-stash" prospect for fantasy, although it will likely be as a first baseman and not catcher with Adley Rutschman holding things down behind the dish.
Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors after collecting at least one hit in each of his six games last week and slashing .421/.519/.737. The 20-year-old was having a great season overall at Double-A, slashing .289/.355/.465 with 16 home runs in 106 games played, culminating in his promotion to Triple-A Norfolk. Basallo will be the youngest player at Triple-A and will begin to make his case for a 2025 MLB debut. MLB's 11th-ranked prospect may have to transition to first base with Adley Rutschman behind the plate in Baltimore, but he's got the makings of a star which makes him very fantasy-relevant.
Samuel Basallo Tallies Two Doubles On Friday, Continues Hot Stretch
Baltimore Orioles catching/first base prospect Samuel Basallo went 2-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI, and a walk on Friday evening. This was the second straight game where he tallied multiple hits and the third straight game tallying at least one hit. Across his past eight games, the budding star is riding a stellar .500/.514/.781 line with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI, two stolen bases, and a 2:5 BB:K ratio. During this stretch, he logged multiple hits in five out of the eight games. Through his first extended look at Double-A pitching, the 19-year-old sits with a strong .286/.350/.468 line and 15 home runs through 91 games. MLB.com ranks Basallo as the second-best prospect in Baltimore, behind only Jackson Holliday, and 12th overall in all of baseball.
Baltimore Orioles catcher/first base prospect Samuel Basallo continued to crush Double-A pitching with four more hits for Double-A Bowie on Wednesday. The Orioles' No. 2 prospect is red-hot right now, turning in an August slash line of .458/.480/.750 in six games so far this month. Overall, the 19-year-old is hitting .284 with 15 homers and 43 RBI to go along with nine stolen bases. Basallo is one of the top young prospects in baseball and the fact that he is crushing it in Double-A at age 19 is a great sign of what is to come. The Orioles held on tight to him at the trade deadline this year and his future is bright in Baltimore. He looks like he could be a future fantasy superstar.
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