Basallo set to make long-awaited debut

HOUSTON – All eyes are on the future of the Orioles. Calling up one of the best prospects in baseball only fuels that fire. 

On Friday, Brandon Young came within four outs of a perfect game. Yesterday, Dylan Beavers made his long-anticipated debut. 

And today, for the grand finale, Samuel Basallo, the No. 8 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, puts on an Orioles jersey for the very first time in the big leagues. 

His dad was the one to call and tell him that he had made the Show. 

“There’s no better feeling than getting that phone call from your family,” Basallo said this morning, via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “My dad is very special to me, he means a lot to me. To get that phone call from him and from my family, it means everything.” 

The young catcher has more than lived up to his prospect hype. 

Basallo, in over 400 minor league games, has never faced a pitcher younger than him. Despite that fact, the 21-year-old hit .270 with a .966 OPS and 23 home runs in Triple-A Norfolk this season. Since June 1, that OPS has been all the way up at 1.029. 

The offensive numbers have never been a question mark. The bat is going to play, and plenty of projections have the young catcher at 40-plus home run potential. There’s average, there’s power, and there’s absolutely ridiculous exit velocities. 

Where Basallo fits defensively, however, will be something to watch. 

“He’s gonna catch, we need to see him catch here,” Tony Mansolino said. “I just think, and Mike feels strongly too, that we’ve got to see the catch tool and if he can do it. It’s a big ask. That can be the hardest thing to do here. 

It’s not going to be the offense. And in terms of the catching, it’s not going to be the receiving, he’s a good receiver. It’s not going to be the throwing, he’s a really good thrower. He’s a really good blocker. It’s going to be calling the game in the big leagues and following game plans and everything that’s kind of accompanied with that. We’re going to see what he can do with that and see kind of where his future lies with the Orioles behind the dish, and then we will also see him at first base.” 

Plenty of progress has been made in that regard. 

“I feel like my defense has gotten a lot better,” Basallo said. “I feel like I’ve been able to progress a lot, advance a lot. I think the organization feels the same way. I think that’s why I’m here right now.” 

The plan appears to be that Basallo will catch tomorrow in Boston, and will see some time at first base as well. Mansolino, and the organization, seem to be excited about his potential at that position, too. 

While Basallo’s promotion is significant on the field, as one of the best young prospects in the game, it also signals a massive step for the Orioles’ international program. 

When Mike Elias and Koby Perez took the reins in 2019, Baltimore was seldom involved internationally. Now, they’ve signed and developed one of the best prospects in the game, one that has just reached the pinnacle of every signee’s dream. 

“Yeah, it’s a big deal for the organization,” Mansolino said. “To get him here and to be regarded the way he is throughout the industry and then also internally, and then here he comes, he’s about to impact the Major League club. This is the first big Latin American signing that we’ve had that shows up, and it’s a really good one. 

So, we’re excited about him. We expect him to be competitive and do well. He could be hot right away, he could not. Either way, over time, he’s going to be a really good major league player.”

The advice that Basallo has been given is similar to that of fellow top prospect Dylan Beavers: Be yourself, and don’t try to do too much. 

“Like my dad likes to say, ‘swing at a good pitch that I like,’”  Basallo said. 

Asking any other players about Basallo’s offensive upside seems to elicit a similar response: A laugh, followed by a telling look that seems to signal “I mean, you’re seeing what I’m seeing, right?”

Now, we get to see it in the big leagues.