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
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.