Orioles General Manager Mike Elias has made it an art when selecting, drafting and developing players. He has selected No. 1 overall prospects Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, after all.
Rutschman and Henderson are key pieces in the Orioles’ postseason push this year. Holliday is 19 years old and already playing Triple-A ball. Each player holds a connection in the rebuild that is bearing fruit.
In the lower levels, Elias may have struck it rich again with young stud catcher Samuel Basallo. Currently ranked as the Orioles’ No. 5 and MLB’s No. 46 prospect, Basallo, like Holliday, is just 19 years old.
Recently, it was announced that Basallo was named to the Carolina League All-Star team. As strong an honor as that is, a bigger one is winning the Carolina League MVP, in which Basallo was named.
Over the course of 83 games, playing for the Delmarva Shorebirds, Basallo would slash .299/.384/.503, with nearly 40% of his 92 hits going for extra bases. He clubbed 19 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs while driving in 60, scoring 52 runs and walking 41 times.
Basallo’s strong season earned him a promotion to High-A Aberdeen and a second promotion to Double-A Bowie to end the season.
The Dominican native ends his season with a combined slashline of .313/.402/.551 across 114 games, also playing some first base. He has amassed 26 doubles, seven triples and 20 home runs while driving in 86. He totaled 66 walks and scored 75 runs and showed off his speed by stealing 12 bases.
Basallo is taking the first steps towards following in a line of top prospects for the Baltimore Orioles. He is the first Orioles prospect to win the Carolina League MVP since 2017 when Ademar Rifaela won it.
Congratulations to Samuel Basallo on his honors. We look forward to seeing the growth and footsteps he takes forward in the organization.
What do you think of Samuel Basallo and the season he had? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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