2023 Orioles #2 Prospect Samuel Basallo - C/1B

[Tony-OH]

https://orioleshangout.com/2023/11/17/orioles-2023-2-prospect-samuel-basallo-c/

No prospect improved his prospect status as much as this hulking left-handed hitting catcher did during the 2023 campaign. With unlimited potential with the bat, Basallo brings top of the chart power grades to a vastly improved hit tool and has easily become one of the best prospects in all of baseball.

Samuel Basallo
Pos: C
Bats: L
Throws: R
Age (as of Jun 30th) : 18
2023 Level: A/A+/AA

Tools (current/future value)
Hit: 40/60
Game Power: 50/70
Raw Power: 65/80
Run: 45/40
Defense: 35/45 at C 35/50 at 1B

Most Likely Future Role: 1st Division Starting Catcher/First baseman/DH
Ceiling: 1st Division Starting Catcher/First Base/DH, multiple times All-Star

2023 Highlight Reel

What we know: No prospect made more of a jump in prospects status during the 2023 season then this hulking left-handed hitting catcher. Laughably listed at 6-3, 180 pounds by most publications, Basallo is every bit of 6-foot-5 and probably nearing 230-240 pounds already and he still could be growing.

Basallo came into his own offensively while playing most of the season at 18-years old. He has well above average barrel rates and exit velocities (at least one at 110 MPH) and hit some of the most prestigious home runs hit by any Orioles minor leaguer including one home run that went 454 foot to CF. Basallo has power to all fields and hit one of the most impressive oppo laser home runs you will see. When he hits home runs, they are typically the no-doubter kind. And let's not forget, he spent most of the season at 18-years old so he hasn't even grown into his man strength yet.

But it wasn't just his home runs that was impressive. He his swinging strike rate significantly dropped and actually went down as the season progressed despite moving up the chain. His strike out rate dropped and his walk rate improved as pitchers had to start respecting his power. He even slashed .306/.385/.459/.844 in 96 PAs against left-handers.

How good was he by the end of the year? Over his last 36 games of the season, he slashed .355/.467/.686/1.152 with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 8 home runs, 26 walks and 24 strike outs over 150 PAs and ended the year in AA.

Defensively, Basallo improved behind the plate with his receiving, blocking and cut his passed balls down as well. Despite his large size, his plus plus arm allows for him to overcome a bit of a slow transfer and he nailed an above average 33% of the runners attempting to steal. Respecting his need to stay fresh with the bat, the Orioles only caught him 68 times out of 114 games played. He started a career high 28 games at first base and while he made five errors, he showed good movement and the ability to pick balls at times despite his limited experience at the position. He even made a complete split during a stretch attempt to nab a runner on a close play.

While stealing bases is not going to be part of his game, he did manage to steal 12 bases and collected 7 triples on the season, so he's no base clogger out there.

He's a very hard worker who has goals of not just being the best Orioles player of all-time, but the best player of all-time. Despite his lofty goals, he's an affable player who plays with an infectious youthful game who is a fun player to watch.

What we don't know: How big will he get and will the bat be so special that the Orioles may want to keep him from wearing down behind the plate? Basallo is already a very large human being while there are 6-foot-5 catchers in the majors, none of them have the bat potential that Basallo brings to the plate. While he hit well in his small sample size in AA, he'll still need to show he can hit upper level offspeed pitches though there's no indications he won't be able to do so.

What we think: Honestly, Basallo has as much upside with the bat as any player in the entire Orioles system, including the major leagues. We even considered him as the #1 prospect on this list and very well may the #1b prospect. It's hard to find too much fault with Basallo after his 2023 season. He'll most likely start 2023 as a 19-year old in AA and if he continues his improvement should end his season in AAA. He very well could be in the running for a major league job by 2025 at the age of 20-years old.

[clapdiddy]

Loved this line:

"He’s a very hard worker who has goals of not just being the best Orioles player of all-time, but the best player of all-time. Despite his lofty goals, he’s an affable player who plays with an infectious youthful game who is a fun player to watch."

[Frobby]

Wow, what a glowing report.   I wish his catcher defense outlook was a little rosier, but you really couldn’t have complimented the bat any higher than you did.  

[Sports Guy]

I mentioned this the other day but something to keep in mind with him is that he is the most likely top guy we have that will sign an extension.

He is young…we could have him for 10-12 years and it may not cost a lot, relatively speaking.

Obviously we are far away from this but just something to keep in the back of our minds.

 

[emmett16]

He’s my #1.  6’5” 240 lefty catcher with hit-ability.  The ceiling is a generational talent/something MLB has never seen before.  

[Tony-OH]

7 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Wow, what a glowing report.   I wish his catcher defense outlook was a little rosier, but you really couldn’t have complimented the bat any higher than you did.  

I have to be honest, I've never seen a bat with as much promise as his in the 27 years I've been scouting the Orioles minor league system. His power is so easy, his strike zone judgement jumped so quickly, and even his ability to pick up spin is just very, very impressive. 

It would not surprise me if Basallo is not the #1 prospect on this list next year, even if Holliday is still eligible. I truly thought about jumping him to #1, but ultimately, Holliday has already had success at the upper levels so his risk factor is a bit lower. Ceiling wise though, Basallo is #1 on this list.

[Sports Guy]

Imagine if Kjerstad, Basallo and Mayo hit their power upsides. That’s a legit 3 40+ homer type guys, with Adley, Gunnar and Holliday surrounding them.  
 

Good luck.

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

It would not surprise me if Basallo is not the #1 prospect on this list next year, even if Holliday is still eligible. I truly thought about jumping him to #1, but ultimately, Holliday has already had success at the upper levels so his risk factor is a bit lower. Ceiling wise though, Basallo is #1 on this list.

I think you said the opposite of what you meant to say in the first sentence.  That second “not” shouldn’t be there, right?

I was revisiting this list, and the top six are pretty ridiculous.   Not only are they all really good prospects, but five of them have reached AAA already, including three who’ve tasted the majors.  And then there’s Basallo in AA, coming on like a freight train.  It’s a great time to be an Orioles fan.  

[btdart20]

40 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

I have to be honest, I've never seen a bat with as much promise as his in the 27 years I've been scouting the Orioles minor league system.

Quite the statement.  

31 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Imagine if Kjerstad, Basallo and Mayo hit their power upsides. That’s a legit 3 40+ homer type guys, with Adley, Gunnar and Holliday surrounding them.  

The '27 Orioles Murderer's Row!  Gunnar's a 30+ HR guy himself.  

 

The state of the org is in a pretty special spot right now.

[LookinUp]

Get ready for the extra pick in the 2026 draft because this guy is looking like the 2025 rookie of the year.

[Moose Milligan]

Glowing report, looking forward to reading the one about Holliday here in a minute.

The size does give me a bit of pause, he sounds like he's built like a young Frank Thomas.  And Frank Thomas in 1990, 1991 was a pretty imposing guy but by the end of the decade he was closer to Cecil Fielder.  

But whatever, it's really exciting to have him in the system.  Glad to see the international efforts paying off.

[Otter]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

I mentioned this the other day but something to keep in mind with him is that he is the most likely top guy we have that will sign an extension.

He is young…we could have him for 10-12 years and it may not cost a lot, relatively speaking.

Obviously we are far away from this but just something to keep in the back of our minds.

 

Completely agree; his upside with the bat and very young age makes him the most logical player to sign to an early extension.  However, we all know what JA thinks about extensions....

[MarCakes21]

@Tony-OH I know this is everyone's question lately, but assuming you have to play all 3 because their bat hits, where do you play Mayo/Kjerstad/Basallo with their defensive profiles?  1B/RF/DH respectively or does something make more sense?

[Say O!]

Sounds like second coming of Yordan Alvarez as a hitter. 

[Aristotelian]

41 minutes ago, LookinUp said:

Get ready for the extra pick in the 2026 draft because this guy is looking like the 2025 rookie of the year.

Could he be in the running for a #1 MLB prospect for a 4th straight year entering 2025? Very exciting.

Curious to hear thoughts/reports on the defense. Are there any comps for 35/45 level catchers sticking there in MLB?