At this rate, it won't be long before Samuel Basallo debuts with the Orioles

Coming into the season, Orioles' top prospect Samuel Basallo has a ton of helium. He's ranked as MLB's 13th best overall prospect by MLB Pipeline and tore the cover off the ball at Double-A Bowie as a 19 year old in 2024.

While Basallo struggled in his initial adjustment to Triple-A at the end of the year, it's important to keep in mind that he was one of the youngest players at the level, and it was a very small sample. However, if his brief performance in spring training this year is any indication, Basallo looks to be on pace for another strong year.

In the 3 games he's played in, Basallo has gone 2-4 with a walk and an absolute moonshot of a home run. The homer came on Thursday in a matchup against the Blue Jays. Basallo came to the plate in the bottom of the 7th against Jays' prospect Nick Fraze. What happened next made jaws drop everywhere.

Orioles top prospect Samuel Basallo doing everything he can to prove he's major league ready

Basallo launched a Fraze fastball an estimated 485 feet, clearing the giant scoreboard in right center and landing on the patch of grass well behind it. Basallo told reporters after the game that it was easily one of the top three longest home runs he's hit in his entire life.

When asked about the prospect of Basallo debuting in Baltimore this year, Mike Elias told reporters that he didn't want to put any specific timeline on it. However, he did allude to the fact that if Basallo keeps hitting as well as he has, it's going to put the Orioles in a position where they'll have to call him up sooner than later.

Obviously the Orioles want to give Basallo as much time as he needs at Triple-A, where he can face off against more advanced pitching and work to refine his defensive metrics. Basallo is seemingly trapped behind Adley Rutschman in Baltimore anyway, so it's not like the O's are desperate to get Basallo to the highest level as quickly as possible. They have the luxury of a star catcher in the majors already.

It's possible that the O's keep working Basallo at first base this spring, and further into the minor league season as well. Assuming Rutschman bounces back after a disappointing 2024, Basallo's playing time behind the plate will be limited. Opening the option to use him at both first base and DH is a clear means of trying to get him ample opportunities when the time comes for his debut. With any luck, that debut will come in the very near future.