NORFOLK, Va. — Whenever the inevitable promotion to MLB occurs, Samuel Basallo has a plan in place.

The 20-year-old intends to call his parents at the same time — he suspects his father will sniff out his surprise — and try to buy them the first flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to Baltimore.

That moment is coming, but for now, Basallo is content waiting in Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles’ top prospect and Baseball America’s No. 15 overall prospect is dominating minor league pitching, but Baltimore wants the catcher to get more repetitions behind home plate before the club calls him up to the majors.

“I’m not anxious (to get promoted) at all. I do think that in the future, I definitely think I can help the team,” Basallo said through team interpreter Felipe Alou.Basallo has made significant strides this season. He’s replaced his big leg kick with a subtle toe tap and adopted a more patient approach at the plate. Compared with last season’s Triple-A numbers (a small sample of 21 games), his walk rate has jumped 11%, his strikeout rate is 10% lower, and he’s hit nearly as many home runs (15) as he did in more than double the plate appearances in Double-A (16).

That stems from a more polished approach. Basallo’s batting practice used to be magnetizing, as he’d consistently smash balls over the right field fence. Those homers still happen, but he’s more focused on hitting to center and left field in pregame warmups, as he’s trying to return to spraying the ball.

“His at-bats are getting a lot more professional, which is great,” Norfolk manager Tim Federowicz said. “He’s had a tendency in the past to swing at everything, but now he’s keeping that same aggression but only swinging at what he wants to swing at.”

Make no mistake, the power is still there. Basallo said that he once cleared the 375-foot right-center scoreboard at Harbor Park in Norfolk and believes he could reach Eutaw Street at Camden Yards.

“He’s special, isn’t he? Yeah, it’s different when it comes off his bat,” Tides second baseman Jeremiah Jackson said.

The defensive improvements are perhaps even more important. Federowicz and Basallo both said that his pitch framing has developed. The Tides’ coaching staff grades its catchers on framing and receiving, and Basallo has ranked at the top in recent weeks.

He’s also played 13 games at first base and looked impressive there. Basallo, who grew up as a catcher, said that he envisions himself as an everyday backstop in MLB, though he’s willing to play any position.

“I can make the case right now, if I’m down in the minor leagues in development, I’d probably fight for the kid at first base,” Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Obviously, he’s a really good catcher too, so that’s not going to happen, but with the first base skills that he has, he’s probably going to play some first base in the big leagues.”

It’s important to remember that Basallo is just 20 years old. Dylan Beavers, who is 23, is the next oldest player on the Tides. Since 2022, the Orioles have promoted nine top prospects whom Mike Elias, the Orioles’ executive vice president and general manager, drafted. Those players averaged 92 games, 414 plate appearances and a .903 OPS in Triple-A before their promotion to the majors. Through Sunday, Basallo is at 74 games, 300 plate appearances and a career .856 OPS.

There’s also a potential incentive for Baltimore if it delays promoting its top prospect. If the catcher isn’t promoted until late August or September, he would likely remain rookie eligible in 2026 and could earn the Orioles an extra draft pick if he wins the American League Rookie of the Year Award next season.

His defensive scouting grade is still only a 45 and Federowicz said that Basallo’s defense is the only thing that could prevent him from being an everyday MLB player. Basallo has only started 18 games behind the plate this season because of injury.

“Rarely do you see a 20-year-old catcher come up to the big leagues, and rarely is it because of the offense, right? It’s usually because catchers are learning how to call and how to run a major league game in Triple-A, which is hard to do,” Mansolino said.

Basallo could undoubtedly help the Orioles immediately. They have a need at catcher with Adley Rutschman (left oblique strain) and Maverick Handley (concussion) on the injured list, and Basallo would instantly be one of their most talented hitters.

“There’s no better time than right now with how he’s swinging the bat and how he’s catching,” Federowicz said. “Don’t know if that’s going to come or not, but he’s definitely trending in the right direction.”

Elias told The Baltimore Sun that Basallo’s development has been a bright spot in an otherwise down season for the organization, and the general manager said that he hopes the prospect is part of the 2025 Orioles.

When informed of Elias’s comments, Basallo said it was the first time he’d heard them. He simply smiled.

“Obviously, as a human being, it’s normal to think about (being promoted), but it’s not something that I’m always on the look for,” Basallo said. “It gets through your head, but at the moment I’m just focused on this here.”

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