SARASOTA, Fla. — There was never any question about Aron Estrada’s bat.

From the earliest days that the Orioles scouted the Venezuelan-born prospect, they could tell. His ability to consistently barrel up the baseball led to loud contact, and he limits strikeouts by combining his plate discipline with his quick-handed swing. Baltimore wanted Estrada in their organization, even if the Orioles didn’t know what position he might play.

“He’s always played short, outfield, second, third — anywhere we put him just to get his bat in the lineup,” said Koby Perez, the Orioles’ senior director of international scouting. Now, as a 21-year-old appearing in his first major league spring training, Baltimore knows it’s time to find Estrada a home.

“And we think it’s second base,” Perez said.

Under Perez’s purview, Baltimore built out its international scouting department, and with the increased resources toward Latin American development, the Orioles have benefited from an influx of talent. Catcher Samuel Basallo was the first to arrive. Estrada, the infielder who makes contact as well as anyone, could be the next Latin American prospect to break through.

“Make it to the big leagues,” Estrada said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones when asked what his goals are. “But also, just continuing to learn from everybody here and continuing to work on and improve my defense.”

That latter bit is vital, because he has played everywhere. But he and the Orioles see second base in his long-term future, and so Estrada spent his winter focused mostly on all the aspects required to master that position.

Mastery is obtainable. On top of his bat-to-ball skills, Perez said the Orioles were drawn to Estrada’s athleticism, which shows itself in both straight-line speed and agility.

“He could play any sport he wanted to, if he desired,” Perez said. “His bat found the barrel all the time and his athleticism made it a no-brainer to bring him into the org.”

Then why was Estrada such an under-the-radar pick? He signed with the Orioles as part of their 2022 international class. His bonus was worth $175,000. By comparison, Basallo’s signing bonus in the 2021 signing class was a franchise-record $1.3 million.

There could be multiple reasons why Estrada was overlooked, and none of them have anything to do with his contact ability. Estrada has a slight build, at 5-foot-8, and he has only hit 23 home runs in 293 minor league games. What he lacks in power, however, he makes up for in his dynamism.

Estrada homers in batting practice in Sarasota, Fla., on Saturday. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Banner)

Last year, Estrada tackled High-A Aberdeen to produce a .798 on-base-plus-slugging percentage as a switch hitter with 30 steals. He earned a late-season promotion to Double-A Chesapeake, where he promptly posted an .855 OPS. Estrada will likely begin 2026 in Double-A once more, but there’s no telling how quickly he can move through the ranks.

“You never know with these kids, especially a lot of these younger guys,” Perez said. “Once they get to the Double-A level, it happens really fast. If he continues what he did at the lower levels and it’s happening at Double-A at the speed it’s happened, they just keep moving up, and he’s going to get there.”

Estrada has yet to reach the level of hype that surrounded Basallo, who became Baltimore’s top-ranked prospect before debuting last year. Estrada slots in at No. 11 in the Orioles’ farm system, according to Baseball America. What any Latin American prospect can take from Basallo, however, is inspiration — that at a young age, an organization can move quickly if the talent is there.

Basallo played 110 games in Double-A and 97 at Triple-A before he wound up in Baltimore. Estrada has only played 27 games in Double-A so far, but he could force the Orioles’ hand with his contact-first approach.

“At some point in my life, I’d like to make it up there to play with him myself,” Estrada said of Basallo.

He may not have to wait all that long.

“We’re just hoping for a good year from him,” said Perez, who didn’t want to pressure Estrada by naming an exact timeline for his arrival in the majors. “Is it this year? Is it next year? We’ll see. But does he have the ability? He sure does.”