How Samuel Basallo Has Put It All Together

Basallo hit more homers on pitches outside of the zone than any hitter in the minor leagues from 2023 to 2025, something that will undoubtedly be an asset to him in his MLB career, but likely at a lesser clip given the quality of big league stuff.

“Even as a kid, if there’s a pitch that I liked, I’d go after [it],” Basallo said. “Even if it was me throwing my hands and hitting a ball the other way — I’m thankful that God blessed me in that way, even as a kid.”

The aggressive nature of Basallo’s game will likely always be there, though his approach is tangibly different. He has cut his swing rate from 62% against four-seamers and sinkers in 2025 to 54% in 2026.

Swinging at nearly two-thirds of fastballs he saw, Basallo was putting the pressure on himself to have to elevate a sinker that may be running below the zone and cover a four-seamer at the top rail, something pitchers were aware of and exploited. Now seeing more pitches, Basallo has improved his walk rate by 3.5% in 2026 and is also doing far more damage on heaters.

After hitting just .189 with a .340 slug and one home run against fastballs last season (202 pitch sample), Basallo is up to .344 with a .639 slug this season (234 pitch sample). Of course, the swing decisions are just the tip of the iceberg, given that Basallo could still be more selective and a leap in production like that almost always comes with a mechanical adjustment as well.

Simplifying the Swing

Though he is one to tinker with his setup pretty frequently, Basallo’s baseline is noticeably different this season. He is more upright and slightly more open, with his feet eight inches closer together on average, but often even more than that.

Basallo previously used to sink deep into his back hip as he loaded, with an early long stride that would sometimes result in a double clutch, both throwing off his timing and resulting in him pushing out onto his front side prematurely. A very clear tell when comparing video below is how much more his head moves in the 2025 swing versus 2026.

“I started working on this past offseason, really trying to just keep my body controlled, not trying to have as much movement in my swing, so trying to simplify things,” Basallo explained. “Allowing me to be more upright, it prevents me from jumping too much at the ball. It allows me to maintain that weight back there a little bit longer.”

Everything about Basallo’s swing is more tightly wound, including his simplified hand load that helps his upper and lower halves operate in sync. The result is not only more power, but a more efficient path to be able to turn stuff around on the upper half.

Though the sample is admittedly small, in just 18% more at-bats this season (as of May 18), Basallo has nearly tripled his total of hits on pitches in the upper half of the zone with 19 through 130 at-bats, compared to seven in 109 at-bats in 2025. Basallo’s slash line on such pitches jumped from .130/.175/.185 and one homer to .311/.344/.639 with five homers.

Locking in on the specific moment where Basallo’s foot strikes and he prepares to turn the barrel helps us zero in on how such a drastic shift could be made on elevated offerings and why the small sample size should still carry weight.

Basallo’s foot strikes at the same time in both videos, but the barrel is firing a split second before in the new swing. The body leak forward that precedes the barrel turn for Basallo both makes it difficult to get on plane with pitches in the upper half of the zone and causes the barrel to drag further behind his body and flatten out.

Though it may not seem like a lot, Basallo’s average attack angle is up from 10 degrees to 12 degrees, while his average attack direction has shifted from two degrees towards the pull side to five degrees, per Baseball Savant. Both shifts correlate with an improved VBA or “Vertical Bat Angle” that hitters pursue in order to maximize their quality of contact.

Basallo has cut his groundball rate by 11% from his first MLB stint, and even more impressively, his 38% groundball rate so far in 2026 would be the lowest figure of his professional career at any stop.

“I’m seeing the ball really well right now,” Basallo said. “I’m feeling a lot more comfortable at the plate.”

Development at Catcher

While the bat is the calling card, Basallo and the Orioles remain focused on his development behind the dish as well, though Adley Rutschman’s offensive resurgence, paired with his superb defense, could make it difficult for the 21-year-old to get more than one or two starts per week in the squat.

Still, Basallo feels like he has made a lot of progress on the defensive side of things, dating back to the offseason. He credits catching coach Joe Singley.

“[I worked] on the receiving more than anything else in the offseason, spring training, and coming into this season,” Basallo said. “Singley has helped me out a lot with that.”

As a prospect, Basallo was tabbed with a double plus arm by Just Baseball, and the raw strength has been on display, reaching as high as 88 mph on his throws and frequently exceeding 86 mph (league average is roughly 82 mph).

He has thrown out 31% of attempted base stealers since debuting, placing him just a hair above average, but Basallo feels like that is the other area he can make a leap defensively.

“More than anything, [I want to continue] working on my throws, because last year they weren’t the best,” he said.

Basallo’s offensive improvements are a huge development for the Orioles as they try to right the ship in 2026, but also in validating the $67 million they guaranteed the young slugger days after his MLB debut.

Given his aggression in the box and tendency to still tinker with his setup and pre-swing moves, Basallo is liable to still be somewhat of a streaky hitter. At the same time, it is clear that he has a great feel for his body and swing, evidenced by the quick adjustments he has made at the highest level and the long track record of success Basallo has had as one of the youngest players at each stop.

With Basallo under team control until 2034 and Rutschman set to hit free agency after the 2027 season, the next hurdle for him will be the defensive side of things. It will be a balancing act for the Orioles as they try to win now while considering the future, but Basallo has the talent to make the progress needed at catcher as he continues to learn the finer things required of the position as Rutschman’s understudy.

Regardless, Basallo’s improvements at the plate have him set up to be a key contributor for the Orioles in both the present and future.

Stats updated prior to games on May 19.