Samuel Basallo played in only 31 games with the Orioles and already began to blend with his teammates and understand how life works in a major league clubhouse.

What you see and hear in there stays in there.

Basallo might have taken it to the extreme, but he had an impressive response to a question at Yankee Stadium about a team meeting to discuss how the Orioles could avoid a repeat of their disappointing 2025 season.

“I don’t want to talk about specific things, but I think we’ve talked about a number of different topics and things that we need to do better, things that we need to get better at,” he said through interpreter Brandon Quinones.

“I don’t think it’s the smart thing to talk about it on camera, but we’ve spoken about a few different things and we know what we need to do.”

Better to be safe than sorry. The kid wasn’t taking any chances.

Basallo wasn’t a typical Orioles rookie, and not just because of his status as the organization’s No. 1 prospect. We’ve seen that type before, including Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. No one else was handed an eight-year contract extension at age 21 and after only five days out of Triple-A.

The max $88.5 million deal is the largest pre-arbitration contract signed by a catcher. And yeah, the position. Basallo had to learn a pitching staff and call a game and handle all of the other responsibilities behind the plate. Hitting was just one of the many adjustments, and while he had two walk-offs, he batted .165/.229/.330 in 118 plate appearances.

“Many things to work on,” he said. “I think many things that the game has taught me, so I think going into this offseason, can refocus on a number of different things to work on.”

When I asked whether he noticed that pitchers had adjusted to him, Basallo said, “I’m not sure if they made any specific adjustments themselves, but if they did, then I think good for them.”

“My dream came true this year, so I think that’s obviously a great thing, but I wouldn’t say that I’m satisfied with the overall results of the season,” he added. “I think there are a lot of things that I need to work on and get better at, so looking to do those things.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m surprised, but there are definitely adjustments to be made. Obviously, it’s a new level to adapt to. So I think there are a couple of things I had to get used to and work on. Overall, I’m very thankful for this organization giving me this opportunity to be up here and experience this and learn a lot from it, and just looking forward to putting in the work and trying to win a championship here.”

The Orioles selected Basallo’s contract from the Norfolk Tides with the idea of having him back up Adley Rutschman. They didn’t anticipate losing Rutschman to another oblique strain, but Basallo earned starts and innings that otherwise wouldn’t have come to him.

“I don’t think anyone wants to get more playing time because your teammate is out with an injury, but I think with that being said, I think it was a very valuable time for me and I was able to learn a lot from being out on the field,” he said.

“I think it was good that the organization was able to see me catch a number of games, and even those outside the organization, so looking forward to next year. I’m looking forward to being back there with him and looking forward to seeing how we divide our time back there. Very excited about it.”

Outfielder Dylan Beavers came up a day before Basallo, also had two walk-off hits and batted .227/.375/.400 with five doubles, a triple, four home runs, 14 RBIs, 26 walks and 36 strikeouts in 137 plate appearances. He went 14-for-44 (.318) in August and 11-for-66 (.167) in September with a 2-for-27 finish in his last eight games.

The Orioles won’t overreact to rookie numbers good, bad or in between. They will be encouraged by how the players handled their surroundings and the failings that didn’t crop up nearly as much in the minors.

“As people, they’re fun,” said interim manager Tony Mansolino. “The two kids right there, Basallo and Beavers, they’re fun, they’re loose. Great personalities. They fit in here seamlessly.

“As players, they remind me a lot in some ways as some of these younger guys who came up a couple years ago, where they’re showing up every night without any preconceived notions about what they need to be. They just need to be here to try to win a game. And I think that’s kind of beared fruit in the eighth and ninth inning here over the last month from those two guys specifically.”