Baltimore Orioles Top Prospect Hits Titanic Blast For Team's First Triple-A Homer of Season

The first home run of the season for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides belongs to? Catcher Samuel Basallo.

Per MLB Pipeline on social media:

Samuel Basallo's first homer of the year gets out in a hurry

The #Orioles top prospect (MLB No. 13) crushes one at 106.4 mph for the Triple-A @NorfolkTides.

Samuel Basallo's first homer of the year gets out in a hurry 🚀

The @Orioles top prospect (MLB No. 13) crushes one at 106.4 mph for the Triple-A @NorfolkTides. pic.twitter.com/9x5OfUEyGq
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 29, 2025

That's certainly a blast and showcases the kind of power that Basallo has.

The 20-year-old was signed back in 2021 and is predicted to make his debut this season, according to MLB.com. MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the No. 13 prospect in baseball entering the season.

He hit .278 last year in the minor leagues, reaching as high as Triple-A, though he played just 21 games there. In total, he had 19 homers and 65 RBI.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

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.

If Basallo is to make the majors this season, the Orioles will have a good problem on their hands seeing as how Adley Rutschman is arguably the top catcher in the game right now.

The Tides will take on the Durham Bulls again on Sunday. The Orioles will take on the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:37 p.m. ET.

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