Orioles Want Samuel Basallo To Continue Learning From Veteran Teammates
An elbow injury last spring meant catcher Samuel Basallo was on the periphery of his first major league spring training.
This time around, the 20-year-old’s involvement in camp will be the beginning of what should be a year of exposure to experienced major leaguers and veteran players who can help round out the game of one of the brightest young hitting talents in the game.
“The next iteration in his development is having to go about your day-to-day entirely surrounded by upper-level players, and (see) how they carry themselves, and what it means to be calm and steady and level-headed throughout the course of a long up-and-down season,” Orioles farm director Anthony Villa said.
“We’ve seen what the physical skills look like, and they’re incredible. We know that with any young player, the mental and emotional maturity continues to grow and develop, and there’s going to be challenges up ahead.
“But for him to be in the presence of more veteran players is really important for his development.”
Such progress has been an important part of Basallo’s climb to the majors. He burst onto the scene by hitting 20 home runs with a .953 OPS at three levels as an 18-year-old in 2023. He had an .820 OPS with 16 home runs at Double-A Bowie last year before spending September at Triple-A Norfolk.
It was an up-and-down year, and Basallo—who can be hard on himself—had to learn to cope with struggles that didn’t appear at lower levels.
With Basallo set to start this season at Norfolk, he’ll likely share a clubhouse with players anywhere from five to 10 years older than him. The Orioles want him to combine those high expectations we has for himself with the steadiness his experienced teammates will demonstrate.
“We are excited that he’s valuing the challenge up ahead in the opportunity that he has, so we want him to continue to stay true to himself with these high and heavy expectations,” Villa said, “but we do want him to also give himself a little grace and understand that he’s a 20-year-old.
“Sometimes, you get beat up a little bit, and you keep coming back for more. He’s going to be better for it.”
