When Mike Elias took over as the general manager of the Orioles, one of the first orders of business was to get the organization re-involved in the international market after a long absence. Basallo was one of the club’s first big signs, getting a then-organizational record bonus of $1.3 million in January 2021. Since then, he’s climbed the ladder relatively quickly, spending nearly all of the 2024 season at age 19 at the upper levels of the Orioles system and representing the organization in the Futures Game.
While Basallo’s overall surface numbers weren’t as eye-popping last year as they were the year prior, struggling a bit in a small sample in his first taste of Triple-A, he still projects to be a very productive left-handed hitter. He hits the ball hard as consistently as anyone in the system and even had good exit velocities despite his tribulations with Norfolk. With strong hands and a simple setup, Basallo has a good approach at the plate, limiting strikeouts and drawing walks. He can get over-aggressive at times because of his knack for making contact, leading to higher chase rates, but he’s shown the ability to drive the ball with considerable power to all fields.
Basallo’s defensive game isn’t considered nearly as sure of a thing as his bat. He has a cannon for an arm that can help control the running game and he moves surprisingly well behind the dish for a 6-foot-4 backstop. Scouts like his hands and think that gives him a shot to stick, though his overall receiving and blocking continue to be a work in progress. Believers think he’ll work out the rough edges given his age while others think he could end up at first base, where his bat should still play.
One of Mike Elias’ key points of emphasis when he took over as general manager of the Orioles was to re-engage on the international market. Basallo was one of their first primary targets, getting what was then an organizational-record $1.3 million bonus to sign in January 2021. After showing glimpses of his offensive potential in the Dominican Summer League in '21, and then in the Florida Complex League the following year, Basallo burst on the scene by posting a .953 OPS while reaching Double-A as a teenager.
It's becoming clear it might be a mistake to put a cap on Basallo’s offensive ceiling. The left-handed hitter combines the ability to hit the ball very hard with elite-level exit velocities and an advanced approach at the plate, making him a very dangerous hitter. Basallo has very strong hands and has simplified his setup, giving him the ability to drive the ball to all fields and make a ton of contact. He also draws a lot of walks, helping him to get in better counts to tap into his considerable raw power consistently, with the 20 homers he hit in 2023 just the tip of the iceberg.
If there are any questions at all about Basallo, they are about his ability to stick behind the plate. He’s made strides there, too, and his plus arm helped him throw out 33.1 percent of potential basestealers a year ago. There’s still work to be done on his overall receiving, but his bat will profile just fine at first base, where he’s been getting comfortable defensively to provide some positional flexibility, especially with Adley Rutschman behind the dish in Baltimore.
One of the first splashes the Orioles’ revamped international scouting department made in Latin America, Basallo signed for $1.3 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, receiving what -- at the time -- was the largest bonus ever given by the O’s to an international prospect. The left-handed hitting backstop rewarded the club with a very solid showing in Rookie ball, hitting 11 homers with a .344 on-base-percentage in 84 games across two seasons.
Basallo hits the ball really hard. His top offensive tool is his potential plus power, which wowed scouts by registering triple-digit exit velocity readings with wood bats as a 16-year-old. His 6-foot-4 frame creates an imposing presence in the box and produces precocious strength. Strong hands help him drive pitches consistently, and he’s quieted his front side since turning pro, eliminating a high leg kick with an eye toward improving bat control. He might need to keep shortening the swing to keep up with higher-level pitching, but is already producing strong walk rates for his strength and age.
Basallo is still raw defensively, but has a huge arm -- clocked as high as 86 mph on throws to second base. Though his physique suggests he could grow too big to catch, the Orioles are bullish on his flexibility and hopeful that outside factors -- like the automated strike zone in affiliated ball -- help ease his transition out of Rookie ball from a defensive standpoint. They’ve also spent time getting Basallo used to first base, where his offensive skill set would profile well. Wherever he ends up defensively, Basallo’s age gives more than enough time to develop into an everyday run producer at the highest level. He’s a potential breakout prospect heading into 2023.
The Orioles are investing more heavily than ever in the international market these days, and their system is starting to show the fruits of those efforts. One prime example is Basallo, a left-handed-hitting backstop who signed for $1.3 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, receiving what -- at the time -- was the largest bonus ever given by the O’s to an international prospect. Basallo then built on that promise with a solid debut season, hitting five homers in 41 games in Rookie ball.
Basallo hits the ball hard. His best tool is his potential plus power, which wowed scouts by registering triple-digit exit velocity readings with wood bats as a 16-year-old. His 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame creates an imposing presence in the box and produces precocious strength, coupling with a high leg kick and strong hands to drive pitches consistently. It’s a long swing Basallo may need to shorten to keep up with higher-level pitching, but he showed good plate discipline for a young player in his pro debut and should get even stronger as his body matures.
Basallo also receives high marks for his arm strength and flexibility behind the plate, though his physique suggests he could grow out of the position in time. The Orioles gave Basallo experience last summer at first base, where his offensive skill set would profile well. Either way, his age gives him huge upside and more than enough time to develop into an everyday run producer at the highest level if it all clicks.
The Orioles celebrated a record-setting international class on signing day 2021, having invested more heavily in the market than at any other point in franchise history. The clearest example of that commitment is Basallo, a bat-first catcher who signed for $1.3 million out of the Dominican Republic. The bonus is the largest ever given by the Orioles to an international prospect.
A left-handed-hitting backstop with potential plus power, Basallo wowed scouts by registering triple-digit exit velocity readings with wood bats as a 16-year-old. He stands out for his physique and raw power to all fields, producing precocious strength from his 6-foot-3, 180 pound frame. Basallo is an imposing presence in the box, using a high leg kick and strong hands to drive pitches consistently. Like all young players, he may need to shorten that swing to adjust to pitching at the next level.
Scouts also give Basallo high marks for his arm strength and flexibility behind the plate, while noting he’s already big for the position and could grow out of it in time. There is room for his receiving and blocking to improve as he develops, and questions about his quickness will linger simply because of his size. But as one of the younger players in his entire class, Basallo has a lot of time to tackle this learning curve. If it all clicks, he could grow into an run-producing, everyday backstop at the big league level.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2025
4
4
5
4
4
3
4
3
4
3
3
6
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
5
3
4
5
4
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
Player
4
4
5
4
4
3
4
3
4
3
3
6
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
5
3
4
5
4
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
