Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo to play in MLB All-Star Futures Game

For the second straight year, the Orioles will have a teenager in the Futures Game.

Samuel Basallo, the No. 2 catching prospect in baseball, was named to the American League’s roster in the MLB All-Star Futures Game later this month — a showcase of the sport’s top minor league talent. Basallo, 19, follows Jackson Holliday, baseball’s top prospect, after the middle infielder participated in last year’s Futures Game at the same age.

Basallo is the only Orioles prospect slated to participate in the game on July 13 at the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field. The seven-inning exhibition kicks off a litany of All-Star festivities of interest to Baltimore fans, set only a few days before Gunnar Henderson is set to compete in the Home Run Derby on July 15 and what’s expected to be a cadre of players representing the Orioles in the Midsummer Classic on July 16.

Related Articles

• Baltimore Orioles | Orioles minor league All-Stars: Coby Mayo, Chayce McDermott highlight top first-half performers
• Baltimore Orioles | MLB All-Star Game voting update: Orioles’ Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson in line to start as deadline nears
• Baltimore Orioles | Former Orioles pitcher Andrew Miller hired by players’ union as special assistant for strategic initiatives
• Baltimore Orioles | Orioles reset: With stars and World Series hopes, Baltimore is at the center of baseball’s national spotlight
• Baltimore Orioles | Rangers clobber Orioles, 11-2, on ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ as Cole Irvin struggles again

Baseball America ranks Basallo as the Orioles’ No. 3 prospect, behind only Holliday and corner infielder Coby Mayo. The only catcher ranked ahead of Basallo at No. 18 on the publication’s top 100 is San Diego Padres backstop Ethan Salas.

Basallo had a historic 2023 campaign in which he climbed from Low-A Delmarva to Double-A Bowie. At 18 years old, it was the Dominican Republic native’s first year in full-season ball after Baltimore signed him to a then-organizational record $1.3 million international signing bonus in January 2021. Most Orioles prospects have struggled with High-A Aberdeen, but not Basallo. His 1.131 OPS in High-A was by far the best of any player in his age-18 season at the level since at least 2006 — ahead of Mike Trout (.821 in 2014), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.944 in 2017) and Wander Franco (.872 in 2019).

Basallo’s numbers so far this season aren’t as otherworldly, but for a 19-year-old in Double-A — nearly five years younger than the average player at the level — he’s doing plenty fine. Despite dealing with a few minor injuries after recovering from an offseason stress fracture in his elbow, Basallo is hitting .278 with a .794 OPS with 11 home runs in 68 games. Basallo slumped in his first 20 games of the season, but he’s since hit .299 with an .896 OPS.

At 6-foot-4, it’s uncertain whether Basallo will be a first baseman or a catcher in the big leagues. He’s split his time defensively between the two spots this season. His bat is far ahead of his defense, so much so that he could continue following Holliday’s path by reaching Triple-A later this season and debuting in the majors next. But the Orioles have said they’re committed to making him a catcher, citing his plus arm and freakish flexibility, which could create an intriguing catching duo with Adley Rutschman.

Holliday and outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad, who is now in the majors, participated in last year’s Futures Game, with the latter’s interrupting of the former’s in-game interview causing laughter on the broadcast. Coby Mayo, the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect, is surprisingly not on the roster, although he recently returned from a fractured rib and could be on the precipice of his big league call-up. Speedster Enrique Bradfield Jr., Baltimore’s first-round pick last summer and ranked No. 83 in Baseball Prospectus’ preseason top 100, also isn’t on the roster.

The Futures Game will begin at 4 p.m. and be aired on MLB Network and MLB.TV. Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcaster Melanie Newman will serve as the game’s play-by-play announcer.