Orioles need Samuel Basallo to win Rookie of the Year in 2026 more than fans realize

Coming off a disastrous 2025 season, the Baltimore Orioles need a turnaround this coming season. They are off to a good start this offseason after signing Pete Alonso and Ryan Helsley as well as trading for Shane Baz among other moves, but the Orioles' existing core has to step up as well if they are going to get back into playoff contention. One name that Baltimore fans are watching carefully to see if he can deliver on his promise is Samuel Basallo.

Basallo had been a top Orioles prospect for a while and fans had been clamoring for months for Baltimore to call him up before the team finally pulled the trigger. While the delay may have had real baseball reasons for happening and potentially cost the Orioles some wins in 2025, it may have an under-the-radar benefit.

Given that Basallo did not exhaust his rookie eligibility in 2025, he is still eligible to win Rookie of the Year in 2026. Assuming Basallo stays in the majors and hits the way many people expect him to, he could easily be in the running for AL ROY which, thanks to the newish Prospect Promotion Incentive program, could yield a much needed benefit for the Orioles.

Samuel Basallo winning AL Rookie of the Year would yield the Orioles and extra draft pick when they need one most

After making so much noise in previous draft classes that ultimately helped the Orioles build a playoff team, the draft talent pipeline is showing signs of drying up. Yes, the Orioles had a number of early picks in the 2025 draft, but Baltimore just gave up two of those drafted players to acquire Baz and they also traded a future competitive balance pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. While the Orioles do own the seventh overall pick after an unlucky draft lottery in 2026, the loss of the pick combined with prospect losses has Baltimore's farm system looking surprisingly vulnerable.

That is where Basallo, in theory, comes in. If Basallo were able to win Rookie of the Year, the Orioles would land an extra draft pick right after the first round of the 2027 MLB Draft. That doesn't help them in this upcoming draft, but could set them up for success even if they play well and their normal pick is lower in the first round the following year.

Given that players like Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Trevor Rogers could leave in the coming years, the Orioles need to stockpile talent even with these new spending parameters set this offseason. There are no guarantees in the game of baseball and the Orioles' front office clearly prefer to have internal options to develop instead of throwing money at their problems. If Basallo can take home top AL rookie honors, that talent pipeline has a much better chance of continuing to chug along despite the organizational losses this offseason.