O's Samuel Basallo on DR baseball background, top 30 rankings, his power and more

He is now ranked as highly as No. 12 on one Orioles top 30 prospects list, but young O’s catching prospect Samuel Basallo from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is aiming even higher.

“When the list came out, my agent actually sent it to me, so I am aware of the rankings. I feel really proud of that because of all the hard work I have been putting in and you know trying to be the best baseball player that I can be. But to tell you the truth I want to try to finish this year being in the top five of that list,” Basallo told me in an interview last week with the help of Orioles translator Brandon Quinones.

Basallo’s No. 12 ranking is from MLBPipeline.com, which had seven international O’s signees among its latest top 30 that dropped last week. Basallo was the highest-rated among that group. He is also ranked as the club’s No. 14 prospect by FanGraphs.com and No. 15 by Baseball America. And this year he's ranked No. 1 on our second annual MASNSports.com ratings of the Orioles' top 20 international prospects.

At age 18, Basallo is drawing rave reviews for his big power potential and a big right arm. Both get 60 grades from scouts on the 20-80 scouting scale. That means those tools are well above average.

Basallo recalled for me that his involvement with baseball in the Dominican Republic goes back to his very early years.

“When I was about four or five, my parents actually signed me up to play baseball,” he said. “I was always a very active kid and they thought it would be a great idea to get me out on the baseball field so I could exhaust some of that energy on the field. And so, yeah, after I signed up I really enjoyed playing. It was when I was about 13 or 14 that I realized I could play professionally and have a team sign me.”

That team was the Orioles, who under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and senior director of international scouting Koby Perez, have now handed out seven-figure deals to four international amateurs. When he signed on Jan. 15, 2021, Basallo got a $1.3 million bonus. It was the biggest handed out by the club ever to an international amateur at that time and since has been topped by outfielder Braylin Tavera, who got $1.7 million and shortstop Luis Almeyda, signed earlier this year for $2.3 million.

Basallo has produced a .762 OPS in two pro seasons, playing 41 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 and 43 last year in the Florida Complex League. He hit six homers to tie for the FCL league lead in 2022 and batted .278/.350/.424/.774 last summer. He added five doubles and 32 RBIs with 15 walks to 37 strikeouts. He produced a 116 wRC+ in FCL play.

“I think going into my first year, I didn’t have my best year but I do think it was a good year at the end of the day. I was a little young going into it, but looking back it was a good year. Going into my second season, I think I was more mentally prepared for what was ahead. Thankfully I feel like I did a good job overall and had a much better year last season. But overall have had a really good first two years thus far,” he said.

At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds he is big for a catcher, but so is Adley Rutschman. Basallo’s arm strength produced some 86 mph throws to second base last year and that is Rutschman range.

“I have always played catcher since I was a kid growing up,” Basallo told me. “It is always a position I played and is a position I really enjoy playing. It keeps me active and keeps me in the game at all times. I have a lot of fun playing catcher.”

If at some point, if Basallo outgrows the catching position, he could wind up at first base or playing a corner outfield spot.

But his power is legit. As we detailed here, the kid took Grayson Rodriguez for an opposite field homer last August on a back-field at Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium. Basallo said he really clicked last season with FCL hitting coach Josh Bunselmeyer, who may be his coach again this year if, as expected, Basallo starts on the low Single-A Delmarva roster.

“I think my power is something I’ve always had, to be honest. I don’t know that it is anything I specifically do, I think I just have that natural power where I try to have a quick swing and hit the ball hard. And it carries when I can hit it really hard,” he said, adding that improved plate discipline is another goal he has.

“It is something I’ve been working very hard at,” he said. “As a little kid, I would kind of just swing at anything I saw close to the plate, because I feel like if the ball is anywhere near the strike zone I could make contact and hit it really well. So, during my time here with the Orioles, it is something I have tried to work really hard at.

“I do realize as I move up the ranks, and continue to go up minor league levels, it is hard to just hit every pitch that you see. So it is something I’m trying to work at and they have been teaching me here with the Orioles.”

Basallo said he is working hard on all aspects on his defense. When I asked if language can be a barrier working with English-speaking pitchers, he said not really.

“To tell you the truth, it isn’t super hard because it is something I have been working really hard at. It’s a big emphasis for me to continue working on my English and doing a good job with that. Thankfully when I am able to go out to talk to the pitcher I feel like I have a good understanding of English but I do recognize that at the end of the day it is something I have to keep getting better at every day."

In Basallo the Orioles have an exciting young catching talent. He should be playing full season ball this year at age 18. If he continues to show off 60 grade power and a 60 grade arm, he could be pushing to make a top 100 list late this year or next offseason.