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

[Rbiggs2525]

There have been some good big defensive catchers. Weiters, Mauer, Pierzinski. My only concern would be the need for the bat outweighs the wait for his glove. Adley also seems like the ideal teacher to a young guy. Also love the idea of throwing 50-70 million dollars at him and see if he bites. 

[jabba72]

If his bat truly is elite I'd still want him Catching unless he starts to outgrow the position, let Basallo catch 70 games and then DH another 65-70. Then Adley would catch the remaining 92 games.

[OriolesMagic83]

I'm excited that Basallo might end up better than the guy who just had a minor league season at 19, who's only comparables in the last 30 years are Acuna's and ARod's first full minor league seasons.

[Dunk35]

That write up does scream Yordan Alvarez.  The power potential between this kid, Mayo, Kjerstaad, Gunnar is absolutely salivating. Possibly 4 guys that could scrape 40 bombs a year. And then high average/obp guys in Jackson, Adley, CC, Bradfield. Lets Goooo! 
 

[Tony-OH]

19 hours ago, RZNJ said:

What is the actual knock on Basallo’s defense?  Framing?  Blocking?   He seems to throw runners out.   At 18, now 19 I’m not sure why the future projection on his defense is below average, at best.

The report said his receiving and blocking improved this year.  Isn’t there a realistic path to being an average or better receiver if he continues improving?

I think his size will ultimately hold him back a bit, but he definitely improved last year and I didn't see a ton of mistakes. He very well could end up an average defensive catcher and I might have shot low with the 45 grade, but I do think as he gets older he'll become less flexible and that will make popping up and moving side to side much harder. 

[Tony-OH]

21 hours ago, interloper said:

Would your ideal infield be Mayo 3B, Gunnar SS, Holliday 2B, Mountcastle 1B? One of the Ortiz/Westburg combo is traded, one is the utility guy? 

We're still talking 2025, right?

My ideal infield starting 2025 would be Mayo, Gunnar, Holliday, and Basallo at 1B. How's that?  

I don't think he's a bad defensive catcher, but I don't want his catching to get in the way of the bat. He didn't wear down at all last year at 18/19 years old, but as he gets older, it will be tough to do all that up and down on the legs, some perhaps converting him more or less to 1B would allow his special bat to be more special.

[Jammer7]

1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:

We're still talking 2025, right?

My ideal infield starting 2025 would be Mayo, Gunnar, Holliday, and Basallo at 1B. How's that?  

I don't think he's a bad defensive catcher, but I don't want his catching to get in the way of the bat. He didn't wear down at all last year at 18/19 years old, but as he gets older, it will be tough to do all that up and down on the legs, some perhaps converting him more or less to 1B would allow his special bat to be more special.

Agreed. If the bat is that special, keep him healthy for as many games as you can, and for as many years as you can. Put him at 1B, and sign him to an extension early in his career. 

[Three Run Homer]

On 11/17/2023 at 10:31 AM, Aristotelian said:

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

 

His biggest competition for #1 prospect next year is likely to be Ethan Salas, another catcher who played well mostly at A ball in San Diego's system at age 17 last year.  But Salas' offensive numbers in 2023 were nowhere near Basallo's.  

[Frobby]

Worth mentioning that this is the first time an international signee has been in our top 5 since Eduardo Rodriguez and Jonathan Schoop on the post-2013 list.  And, neither of those ever got as high as no. 2 I don’t think.   I do remember there was a year long ago when @Tony-OHranked an international signee as our no. 1 prospect.  I don’t even remember the guy’s full name but I think the last name was Jimenez.   Anyway it was at a time when our farm system was pathetic and Tony was really reaching for anything.   The guy never made it to the majors, and wasn’t even successful in the upper minors.  He was at Delmarva or below when Tony picked him.  

Edited November 19, 2023 by Frobby

[OriolesMagic83]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Worth mentioning that this is the first time an international signee has been in our top 5 since Eduardo Rodriguez and Jonathan Schoop on the post-2013 list.  And, neither of those ever got as high as no. 2 I don’t think.   I do remember there was a year long ago when @Tony-OHranked an international signee as our no. 1 prospect.  I don’t even remember the guy’s full name but I think the last name was Jimenez.   Anyway it was at a time when our farm system was pathetic and Tony was really reaching for anything.   The guy never made it to the majors, and wasn’t even successful in the upper minors.  He was at Delmarva or below when Tony picked him.  

Back in the "Dark Ages" guys were making it in the top 10 based on projection alone at some time.  It seemed like every potential TOR starter became a #5 starter or a middle reliever.  Where have you gone Brandon Erbe.   lol

 

[Tony-OH]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

Worth mentioning that this is the first time an international signee has been in our top 5 since Eduardo Rodriguez and Jonathan Schoop on the post-2013 list.  And, neither of those ever got as high as no. 2 I don’t think.   I do remember there was a year long ago when @Tony-OHranked an international signee as our no. 1 prospect.  I don’t even remember the guy’s full name but I think the last name was Jimenez.   Anyway it was at a time when our farm system was pathetic and Tony was really reaching for anything.   The guy never made it to the majors, and wasn’t even successful in the upper minors.  He was at Delmarva or below when Tony picked him.  

That was Luis Jimenez after the 2002 season and while he did flame out, he actually did get 18 major league PAs and slashed .289/.367/.470/.837 in 1462 AAA PAs. So I might have gotten a little too excited over the bat when I went down and saw him in Bluefield, but he wasn't quite a big a miss as you suggested. 

Jimenez was a product of the Orioles system when they had no clue how to develop a prospect, especially an international prospect from Venezuela. 

I pretty sure the guy had some depression issues and even when he was killing it at Bluefield, he was the most depressed professional player I ever interviewed (through an interpreter). The Orioles quickly gave up on him (I believe for an off field issue if I remember correctly) and then brought him back years later and he killed it at Bowie too, but he had no position.

He was basically Calvin Pickering but with less game power.

BTW, look at that system when I named him #1: 2002 Orioles Farm system stats

Erik Bedard should have been the #1 prospects in the system and Jim Johnson #2. 

[Frobby]

58 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

That was Luis Jimenez after the 2002 season and while he did flame out, he actually did get 18 major league PAs and slashed .289/.367/.470/.837 in 1462 AAA PAs. So I might have gotten a little too excited over the bat when I went down and saw him in Bluefield, he wasn't quite a big a miss as you suggested. 

Jimenez was a product of the Orioles system when they had no clue how to develop a prospect, especially an international prospect from Venezuela. 

I pretty sure the guy had some depression issues and even when he was killing it at Bluefield, he was the most depressed professional player I ever interviewed (through an interpreter). The Orioles quickly gave up on him (I believe for an off field issue if I remember correctly) and then brought him back years later and he killed it at Bowie too, but he had no position.

He was basically Calvin Pickering but with less game power.

BTW, look at that system when I named him #1: 2002 Orioles Farm system stats

Erik Bedard should have been the #1 prospects in he system and Jim Johnson #2. 

I figured you’d remember the details.  That actually was before I was an OH member.   I used to visit the site a couple of times a year then to get an idea of who our good minor leaguers were.  I didn’t even know the message board existed then.  I was posting on an AOL messsge board at the time.

[Malike]

11 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I figured you’d remember the details.  That actually was before I was an OH member.   I used to visit the site a couple of times a year then to get an idea of who our good minor leaguers were.  I didn’t even know the message board existed then.  I was posting on an AOL messsge board at the time.

Way to tip your hand, old-timer.

[Frobby]

27 minutes ago, Malike said:

Way to tip your hand, old-timer.

I still have an AOL email address.  

[Malike]

32 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I still have an AOL email address.  

When my girlfriend (Now my wife) and I were separated for work for a while in the 90's we used AIM as our main communication. That was back when cellphone bills would result in the thousands for making calls. Times, they have a changed.