Samuel Basallo 2023

[baltfan]

23 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

FFS, I forgot he was 16 for a portion of this season. What he is doing is nothing short of incredible.

He has finally hit a bit of a wall but yeah he is barely 17.   Crazy. 

[TopGunnar]

1 hour ago, baltfan said:

He has finally hit a bit of a wall but yeah he is barely 17.   Crazy. 

Isn’t he 19

[baltfan]

4 minutes ago, TopGunnar said:

Isn’t he 19

Salas is 17

[emmett16]

Small sample size so far, but he has thrown out 35% of runners.  Juts noticed an interesting trend:

In DSL he threw out 26%

In FCL he threw out 31%

In A he threw out 33%

And in A+ he's thrown out 35% so far.  

I always look for guys that improve as they move up. 

It's interesting that his Catching deployment is different so far in A+.  Not sure if that's a function of it being a long season and they are trying to take it easy on him towards the end, or if there is a bit of a shift in how they plan to use him moving up. 

In A he played 51 of 81 games at C.  So far in A+ he's played 8 if 15 games at C.  63% down to 53%.  Again, SSS but something to keep an eye on.  

[Tony-OH]

On 8/18/2023 at 11:19 AM, CaptainRedbeard said:

Best case scenario Basallo ends up good enough defensively to be a starting C, and he either is here when Adley leaves or they trade one of them. However if he can get to a point where he is just sufficiently passable defensively to tolerate as a backup C, that would provide a lot of value with Adley. Sort of like a Danny Jansen / Alejandro Kirk situation. Wouldn’t make a lot of sense if his C defense was a real asset, but it could happen given he’s a bat-first guy. 

I’ve never really understood the idea that prospects can outgrow C if they’re too big. Basallo is 6’3. Matt Wieters and Joe Mauer are 6’5”. Maybe big guys can’t stay at C into their 30’s, but Basallo is 18. If he’s good enough technically to play C his size shouldn’t be a factor.

It's not just height but the chest and waist size that typically suggests future growth and weight. Basallo has been pretty good overall behind the plate and his throwing continues to improve at each level which is quite the opposite of most catching prospects. 

His top of the chart flexibility certainly helps for him sticking at catcher and there is certainly no reason to move him right now.

Moving him between catcher and first base is a great way to develop him. I could imagine a catching/first base duo of Basallo and Rutschman whether neither has to catch more than 80 games and keeping them and their bats fresh over a season.

[Malike]

3 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

It's not just height but the chest and waist size that typically suggests future growth and weight. Basallo has been pretty good overall behind the plate and his throwing continues to improve at each level which is quite the opposite of most catching prospects. 

His top of the chart flexibility certainly helps for him sticking at catcher and there is certainly no reason to move him right now.

Moving him between catcher and first base is a great way to develop him. I could imagine a catching/first base duo of Basallo and Rutschman whether neither has to catch more than 80 games and keeping them and their bats fresh over a season.

I hear he has a bigtime arm, is this true? 

[emmett16]

44 minutes ago, Malike said:

I hear he has a bigtime arm, is this true? 

Cannon. 

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, emmett16 said:

Small sample size so far, but he has thrown out 35% of runners.  Juts noticed an interesting trend:

In DSL he threw out 26%

In FCL he threw out 31%

In A he threw out 33%

And in A+ he's thrown out 35% so far.  

I always look for guys that improve as they move up. 

It's interesting that his Catching deployment is different so far in A+.  Not sure if that's a function of it being a long season and they are trying to take it easy on him towards the end, or if there is a bit of a shift in how they plan to use him moving up. 

In A he played 51 of 81 games at C.  So far in A+ he's played 8 if 15 games at C.  63% down to 53%.  Again, SSS but something to keep an eye on.  

As to the improved CS%, some of that may be that pitchers are better at holding runners on as you move up the chain.

As to the percentage of the time he’s playing catcher, I wonder what his percentage was at Delmarva before Willems got promoted?   

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, Malike said:

I hear he has a bigtime arm, is this true? 

Yes, he has plus arm strength.

[emmett16]

52 minutes ago, Frobby said:

As to the improved CS%, some of that may be that pitchers are better at holding runners on as you move up the chain.

As to the percentage of the time he’s playing catcher, I wonder what his percentage was at Delmarva before Willems got promoted?   

Ah.  That would make sense for him to be splitting more at A+ now that he's reunited with Willems.  Just Checked BBref.  Willems was promoted on 5/28 and in that time, Willems caught 16 of 30 games he played and Bassallo caught 22 of 39 games (56%) which is close to what he's caught in his brief Aberdeen career (53%).  Good call.  

You're likely right about the pitchers holding runners better as they mature.  

 

 

[Sports Guy]

Salas is being called up to AA already. I don’t get that move but CoC’s thought of will he have prospect status for 2024 looks more and more possible.

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Salas is being called up to AA already. I don’t get that move but CoC’s thought of will he have prospect status for 2024 looks more and more possible.

Even I'm shocked at this one.

Why even bother with high A if you are going to do this?

[Sports Guy]

5 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Even I'm shocked at this one.

Why even bother with high A if you are going to do this?

Agreed, especially since it’s not like he was successful in the very small sample size.

[scarey1999]

3 hours ago, Sports Guy said:

Agreed, especially since it’s not like he was successful in the very small sample size.

They want to get him exposure this year to catching advanced pitching and also have him be around a playoff environment. I can see the argument despite his lack of recent success at high A. 
 

“Our group feels he’s up to the challenge,” Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller told the Union-Tribune by phone Sunday afternoon. “We think there’s a benefit of playing against advanced competition and catching advanced pitchers and this is a group that will have chance to play together down the stretch and into the Double-A playoffs.”

[baltfan]

4 hours ago, scarey1999 said:

They want to get him exposure this year to catching advanced pitching and also have him be around a playoff environment. I can see the argument despite his lack of recent success at high A. 
 

“Our group feels he’s up to the challenge,” Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller told the Union-Tribune by phone Sunday afternoon. “We think there’s a benefit of playing against advanced competition and catching advanced pitchers and this is a group that will have chance to play together down the stretch and into the Double-A playoffs.”

I think this is Preller trying to save his job.  “Hey, look at me!  I got this Uber prospect from Venezuela.  We are going to be great in the NEAR future.  Pay not attention to the mess on the field now.”