Before any Orioles descended on Arlington, Texas, for the MLB All-Star Game next week, one of the team’s top prospects arrived to help kick off the festivities.
Catching prospect Samuel Basallo participated in the Futures Game on Saturday at Globe Life Field, giving the 19-year-old a chance to display what makes him such a tantalizing player for the Orioles’ long-term plans.
Batting fourth and starting at catcher for the American League in an exhibition between baseball’s top young talent, Basallo went 0-for-1 with a walk and caught the game’s first four innings.
The left-handed hitter worked a four-pitch walk in his first plate appearance in the bottom of the first inning against Colorado Rockies High-A right-hander Chase Dollander, the ninth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft. In the third, Basallo grounded into a double play to end the inning. He was replaced to start the fifth.
Basallo reportedly hit five home runs in pregame batting practice, according to Baseball America, second most among those who took swings.
“This kid is a pretty special talent,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Saturday. “To have him representing us at the Futures Game is great. It’s a pretty big deal for us.”
The Dominican Republic native will also participate in the Futures Skills Showcase, a competition between eight minor leaguers that awards points to hitters for hitting balls to targets scattered across the field, immediately following the Futures Game. It will air Sunday at 10 a.m. on MLB Network.
Basallo, who signed for a then-club record $1.3 million in 2021, is in the midst of another impressive season in the minors. In 75 games with Double-A Bowie, the catcher is hitting .274 with a .787 OPS and 12 home runs.
He’s also taken strides defensively in an effort to remain a catcher when he reaches the majors. Basallo has a wide frame and flexibility that limits passed balls and is equipped with above-average arm strength. He’s thrown out 23% of attempted base stealers this season, which would rank 29th out of 63 qualified MLB catchers.
Basallo was limited behind the plate earlier this season with an elbow injury but has started just over half of his games at catcher since returning in late April. He’s played 29 games at catcher, 21 at first base and 23 at designated hitter as the organization decides which position he’ll settle at if he reaches Baltimore.
“The sentiment and the confidence in his defense has just gone up and up and up the last year in particular,” Elias said. “We think he’s a catcher, but he’s also got a bat that we’re very confident would play at first base and that’s helpful because you can’t catch six games a week. Whether he’s at first base or at DH, this is possibly a middle-of-the-order bat, but he’s also a guy that can catch. He’s in a really good spot.”
Baseball America’s No. 16 overall prospect is also a candidate to be a part of a trade package if the Orioles get aggressive at the deadline later this month. A player of Basallo’s caliber would certainly net a prized return, potentially a starting pitcher with multiple years of control or several high-level pending free agents.
Elias said Saturday that he’s focused primarily on this season when weighing what kind of players to acquire. Still, with Basallo’s potential as a catcher in Baltimore murky with two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman entrenched, the 19-year-old will be a candidate to be moved.