This Prediction About Samuel Basallo Should Have Orioles Fans Excited

If this prediction about the Baltimore Orioles superstar prospect comes true, then this fan base will be ecstatic.

Shorebirds' Samuel Basallo (21) swings in the game against the Cannon Ballers Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. The Shorebirds defeated the Cannon Ballers 7-2/ | Lauren Roberts/Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

There is no doubt that the Baltimore Orioles have one of the most stacked farm systems in all of MLB.

The organization's overall standing in farm system rankings has fallen due to several players graduating from prospect status, but the Orioles are still one of a select few teams with two minor leaguers ranked in the top 15 of MLB Pipeline's top 100 list.

Infielder Coby Mayo (No. 14) will begin the season with Triple-A Norfolk after a disappointing showing in a spring training during which he hoped to claim a full-time MLB roster spot.

The other, catcher Samuel Basallo (No. 13), will also start the year with the Tides, but that was expected given that Baltimore boasts arguably the best catcher in baseball (Adley Rutschman) and consistent at-bats are crucial for Basallo's development.

The 20-year-old slugger could still use those reps to earn his way to the Major Leagues, David Schoenfield of ESPN staked his bold prediction regarding the Orioles on Basallo doing just that.

"The Orioles have a crowded position-player roster, but top prospect Samuel Basallo eventually will hit his way out of Triple-A and into the lineup as the regular DH in the second half," Schoenfield wrote. "[He'll] belt 15 home runs, including two 475-foot blasts that establish him as one of the future power kings in the sport."

Basallo already has a track record of earning promotions midseason.

In 2024, he performed so well with Double-A Bowie, where he slashed .289/.355/.465, that he earned a call-up to Norfolk.

At just 19 years of age, Basallo came up to the doorstep of the Major Leagues 7.4 years younger than the weighted average of Triple-A players.

There is no doubting his talent or pedigree, as his MLB Pipeline's scouting report rates his power tool as a 60 and his arm as a 70.

What makes Schoenfield's prediction so bold is not just Rutschman's standing in the organization, but that Basallo would likely have to leapfrog established designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn to earn enough playing time to hit 15 homers.

O'Hearn hit 15 homers and produced a .761 OPS in 2024, which are not out of this world numbers by any means, but they are enough to make him a quality presence in the lineup with some job security.

Whether it's through injury or his own performance, Basallo earning regular at-bats in Baltimore would instantly become one of the most exciting storylines of the season for Orioles fans, and if Schoenfield's prediction about a pair of 475-foot blasts comes to fruition, Eutaw Street should be on the lookout.