May 5, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The Baltimore Orioles logo on the sleeve of designated hitter Gunnar Henderson (2) as he prepares on deck during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Orioles Top Prospect Launches 16th Home Run As Strong Season Continues

Originally posted on Baltimore Orioles on SI
By Maddy Dickens | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 1:30 PM ET

Samuel Basallo, the current top-ranked prospect for the Baltimore Orioles, has been playing for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides since the end of last season.

He has been impressive throughout his young career, and he continues to turn heads at the level that's one step away from The Show.

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In Norfolk's last game, Basallo launched a two-run homer, which was his 16th on the year in 55 games. He’s also tallied up 38 RBI and has walked 36 times. This season he is slashing a .258/.381/.566.

Basallo has been in playing professional baseball since 2021, with 380 total games to his name.

For his entire career, he has slashed a .282/.366/.489 with a total of 66 homers and 240 RBI.

Top #Orioles prospect Samuel Basallo crushed a two-run homer, his 16th long ball of the season, in Sunday's contest.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/1cW9H6Lp8S
— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) July 1, 2025

He’s on track to surpass the most home runs he’s ever had in a season.

In 2023, he crushed 20 in 114 games. Playing in half that amount so far this year, he’s already up to 16.

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If he keeps performing like this at the plate he’ll have his best season to date in the minors.

Basallo’s shortcoming, which hast kept him from the Majors, is defense.

His receiving and blocking are still a work in progress at catcher, and that could cause him to eventually end up being an option at first base, which is why he his getting many reps there.

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However, the Orioles continue to deal with injuries behind the plate, which could potentially make the 20-year-old an optioned to be called up at some point this season.

As Baltimore tries to navigate their injuries over the rest of the campaign, they will have to potentially start looking at some of their top prospects in Triple-A like Basallo.

For more Orioles news, head over to Orioles On SI.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Orioles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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