Until 2020, Craig Albernaz had never heard the term \u201cplayer development\u201d used so frequently at the major league level. To that point, development was Albernaz\u2019s game \u2014 he was a minor league field coordinator with the Tampa Bay Rays \u2014 but in the minors, development is paramount.<\/p>\n
Then he joined Gabe Kapler\u2019s staff with the San Francisco Giants as a bullpen and catching coach, and the term kept coming up again and again. In Baltimore, where Albernaz is now a first-time manager looking to rejuvenate a team that underperformed last season, player development will once more take center stage.<\/p>\n
When considering those who must improve, there are bounce-back candidates (such as catcher Adley Rutschman<\/a> and, to a lesser extent, shortstop Gunnar Henderson<\/a>). Then there is a major piece of this young core who has already been handed a major vote of confidence in his ability to continue developing at the highest level with a contract extension<\/a>.<\/p>\n That is Samuel Basallo, the 21-year-old top prospect who appeared in 31 games last season for the Orioles. <\/p>\n When summarizing how he performed, Basallo viewed it as a positive learning opportunity. But he also said there were \u201cthings I was failing at offensively I would like to work on.\u201d<\/p>\n If Basallo hadn\u2019t struggled in some capacity, that would be more noteworthy. As the gap between the minors and majors widens<\/a> \u2014 possibly a trickle-down from the reduction in minor league roster size<\/a> \u2014 hot prospects often sink before swimming when they first face elite pitching.<\/p>\n Basallo hit .165 with a .559 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Basing too much on a 31-game sample would be a fool\u2019s errand. After all, even the game\u2019s greats go through long slumps during a full campaign.<\/p>\n But when Basallo describes \u201cfailing\u201d at certain areas offensively, it\u2019s fairly clear what he means. In Triple-A, Basallo averaged 1.73 strikeouts per walk. In his 31 games for the Orioles, he struck out five times per every walk (30 to six).<\/p>\n His massive power shined through with four home runs<\/a>, and he came in clutch on multiple occasions<\/a> by just putting the ball in play<\/a> (a swinging bunt, for instance, in Boston brought home the go-ahead run). But Basallo expanded the strike zone (38.7% chase rate) and whiffed far too frequently (29.4% swing and miss rate) in his first exposure to the big leagues, according to Statcast metrics.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helped me learn the things I wanted to attack in the offseason, the things I wanted to get better at,\u201d Basallo said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. \u201cI do think the time I spent up here helped me going into the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n As far as player development is concerned, that\u2019s the exact mentality Basallo needs to employ. He can look at what he did well and maintain it, and he can look honestly at what didn\u2019t work. For one, his average bat speed of 75.5 mph is a positive indication that when Basallo begins to make more contact, his power numbers will increase.<\/p>\n