Orioles highly touted catching prospect Samuel is learning to handle the pressure with Aberdeen IronBirds – The Denver Post

It’s difficult to completely shun the pressure that accompanies a résumé like Samuel Basallo’s.

When the Orioles signed him out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Jan. 15, 2021, he received $1.3 million, at the time the largest bonus the O’s had invested in an international prospect. He was 16 years old.

Some are already dubbing him the ‘Dominican Adley Rutschman,’ playing catcher with a similarly imposing frame. Not to mention, now just past this 19th birthday, he has already scaled prospect boards from fringe MLB.com Top 100 to the 50th best prospect in baseball. The site rates Basallo as the No. 5 prospect in the Orioles’ system.

Basallo was called up to Aberdeen from Low-A Delmarva on Aug. 1 and he may already be one of his team’s most versatile threats. In Tuesday’s 8-6 win over the visiting Wilmington Blue Rocks, he starred as the designated hitter. On Wednesday, according to manager Roberto Mercado, he’ll be at first base. On Thursday, he’ll slide back to his primary role at catcher.

“He puts so much pressure on himself to be successful and he wants to help the team win,” Mercado said. “When he strikes out, he’s in the dugout really upset. I gotta reel him in, give him a minute to settle down and let him know he’s still a big part of this game.”

Sometimes Basallo uses his highly-touted physical strength both offensively and defensively. But sometimes — maybe after a poor plate appearance or defensive mistake — he’s fairly hard on himself.

When asked about his performance Tuesday night, he shrugged. Through Mercado’s translation, Basallo said the day didn’t start great for him. “I don’t know why he said that,” Mercado interjected with a laugh following Basallo’s two-RBI, two-run performance. “He had three hits right off the rip.”

The first was a line drive single to center field. His next time up, Basallo jumped on the second pitch, sending the ball high toward the cotton candy skies casting over Leidos Field. It one-hopped over the left-center field wall scoring Creed Willems and Elio Prado for the game’s first two runs. Then, he worked a full count before nearly eviscerating the head off Blue Rocks pitcher Kyle Luckham, lining an RBI single to center.

But Basallo’s focus fell back on his 6th-inning strikeout right after admitting he struggled mightily in pregame batting practice.

“We’re just teaching him how to fail,” Mercado said. “Obviously this game is about failure and we promote that. We want you to fail, it’s not going to be easy. We don’t want to make it easy. But he’s done a great job dealing with that and we’ll continue to work on it.”

“The first week here was a little tough getting used to how everything is and I was a little nervous,” Basallo added. “After that I’ve been getting better every day.”

In all this season, he’s slashing .293/.378/.487. Since his call up, he’s at .255/.340/.383, launching his lone IronBirds home run and 13th of the year on Aug. 12 against the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Basallo’s father first forced him to play baseball from a young age as a way to expense endless energy. By the time he was about 13, Basallo realized how much bigger and stronger he was than his peers, coming around to the idea of professional baseball.

Strength is Basallo’s most intriguing attribute. As a backstop, his throws to second have clocked in as high as 86 miles per hour, approximately the average of some of Major League Baseball’s top catchers according to Statcast. He can also chase a ball out of the zone and still manage to put it over the fence.

“Basallo hits the ball really hard,” MLB.com scouts wrote. “His top offensive tool is his potential plus power, which wowed scouts by registering triple-digit exit velocity readings with wood bats as a 16-year-old. His 6-foot-4 frame creates an imposing presence in the box and produces precocious strength. Strong hands help him drive pitches consistently, and he’s quieted his front side since turning pro, eliminating a high leg kick with an eye toward improving bat control.”

When he first signed with the O’s, he was constantly out in front of pitches. Most of Basallo’s improvements have revolved around controlling and getting used to his body.

“The raw strength he has is absolutely amazing,” Mercado said. “It’s rare that you see a kid at 19 years old that has the power he has to all fields. From the first week, you can already see his growth and maturity. He loves the game and plays the game so hard.”

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