Samuel

Basallo

The 20-year-old now has 13 home runs, 26 RBI, and a .952 OPS on the season. Basallo has been heating up of late, and with Ryan Mountcastle out for the next two months, there could be a window of opportunity for their young prospect. He’s still likely behind Heston Kjerstad and Coby Mayo in the pecking order for designated hitter at-bats, but neither of those guys has really run away with the opportunity, so it remains a situation to monitor.

Basallo has clearly ascended into top-15 range prospect status for dynasty purposes over the past few weeks. He’s gone deep in back-to-back contests and is up to 12 round-trippers through 36 games this season at the Triple-A level. The 20-year-old phenom figures to reach the big leagues at some point in the second half as a first base or DH option for Baltimore. The biggest long-term question for fantasy managers is how many years he’ll manage to retain catcher eligibility into the future.

Basallo missed time last month with a hamstring strain and got off to a slow start after returning, but he’s hitting .291/.400/.709 with six homers in 65 plate appearances this month. Carving out a role for him in Baltimore would probably mean giving up on Ryan Mountcastle, but it’s something the Orioles could consider as they continue to flounder.

Basallo’s third and fifth inning round-trippers traveled a combined 823 feet before he doubled off the top of the wall a couple frames later, narrowly missing his third big fly of the contest. The 20-year-old prodigy is still striking out a healthy amount and has six homers in 21 games this season. It’s been encouraging to see him back behind the plate recently after being limited defensively at the outset of the year due to right elbow inflammation during spring training. He’s a top-15 range prospect for dynasty purposes right now given his offensive upside and potential to retain catcher eligibility at the outset of his big-league career.

It’s hard to say what the Orioles would do if Basallo was banging down the door, but it’s not an issue at the moment; the top prospect is hitting a modest .210/.286/.419 in 70 plate appearances. The strikeouts are a new problem for him. He had just five in 12 games through the end of April (he missed time with a hamstring strain last month), but since May started, he’s fanned 13 times in six games.

Basallo was reinstated off the minor league injured list after missing a week-plus with a mild left hamstring strain. The 20-year-old is one of the top prospects in baseball, and while his position is currently blocked at the highest level, he has a chance to help Baltimore in 2025.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias told reporters Tuesday that Basallo could return at DH in a couple weeks and resume catching at some point in May. The 20-year-old slugging backstop figures to reach the big leagues later this year and is one of the premier fantasy-relevant prospects worth keeping a close eye on.

The 20-year-old slugger is on the fringe of making an impact at the big-league level with the Orioles, but his timetable is going to get pushed back a bit if he winds up missing time due to the hamstring issue. Expect the team to have an update on his status as more information becomes available.

Basallo belted 19 round-trippers last year between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk and is one of the premier power-hitting prospects in the fantasy landscape. His path to playing time in Baltimore is a bit murky, but he’s the type of impact bat that will force his way into a prominent role, when he’s ready. It’s almost time.

One of the top prospects in the fantasy landscape, it feels like only a matter of time before Basallo is mashing at the highest level. The 20-year-old prodigy made it all the way to Triple-A last year and boasts top-of-the-scale raw power potential. He’s unlikely to retain catcher eligibility long-term, but he’ll make enough loud contact to be an impact fantasy contributor regardless of his defensive home.