Where Baltimore Orioles' Top 5 prospects rank entering spring training

Samuel Basallo, catcher

Basallo was the 17th best prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, and Baseball America has him rated as the second-best prospect in the Orioles farm system. Basallo was signed out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021 and has made great strides through the organization. He received a club record $1.3 million signing bonus as an international signee, and will probably start the season at Double-A Bowie and make it to Triple-A Norfolk before too long. He will be a long shot to break with the team, but he will have his chance to become the guy in 2025.

After spending two seasons at the rookie ball level, Basallo played for three of the four affiliates last season and played in 114 games behind the plate. In 419 at bats, he has 131 hits for a .313 batting average. He is a plus-plus prospect behind the plate with adequate power. He hit 20 home runs last season and drove in 86 runs. He is 6-3, 180 pounds and moves well, according to Baseball America, for a guy his size. His future is behind the plate, but can be moved around to keep his bat in the lineup on days that he is not catching. He's slightly behind the eight ball this spring, though, battling an elbow stress fracture that has limited his defensive reps.