Samuel Basallo, on the fast track to Baltimore ever since he tore through three levels as an 18-year-old in 2023, found himself in a unique spot this year at Triple-A Norfolk.
His MLB debut was inevitable if he hit. After a slow start, he did. But he also had plenty to learn—about himself as a hitter, about catching and about competing at the highest level.
It wasn’t the success, but the early-season trials, that Basallo picks out from his 76-game stint at Norfolk preceding his debut as being what prepared the precocious backstop, who turned 21 just days before his Aug. 17 debut, for the majors.
“Trusting and sticking to the process, that’s something that I’ve struggled with at the beginning of this year at Norfolk. I got off to a bit of a bad start, went through a bad stretch, and wasn’t feeling my best as well,” Basallo said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones.
“Going through that prepared me for this, because going up, I knew there would be a bit of an adjustment period as well. I think that kind of helped me once I came up.”
Basallo dealt with an elbow issue in spring training that impacted the start of his season, with a hamstring issue also slowing him early. That period also allowed him to realize success wasn’t something to take for granted.
Always the youngest at his level and the vanguard of the Orioles’ renewed international scouting efforts, Basallo needed to be in Triple-A to soak in the wisdom of the likes of veteran Vimael Machin, who counseled Basallo through his early struggles.
Given he had a .990 OPS and 20 homers from May 1 until his callup, the waiting didn’t slow him much. Basallo, who signed an eight-year contract extension days after his debut, has had some big moments already, including a walk-off home run against the Dodgers.
Basallo started slowly during his first taste of the majors, but no one around the Orioles sees any cause to panic. They’ve seen Basallo come out better through these stretches before.