No MLB team has a better catching prospect than the Orioles’ Samuel Basallo. And no team has a better third base prospect than the Orioles’ Coby Mayo.

Still, their futures in Baltimore are uncertain.

Adley Rutschman, a two-time All-Star, is the Orioles’ present and presumably future at catcher as one of the best backstops in baseball. Jordan Westburg could also be seen as the same at third base after his All-Star 2024 campaign.

Basallo and Mayo on Wednesday were recognized as among the best prospects in the sport by Baseball America, as the publication rated both as the top player at their respective position. Their bats have as much upside as any prospect in baseball, but how and when they’ll become everyday players in Baltimore are among the biggest questions facing the Orioles entering the 2025 season.

Mayo struggled in his first taste of the big leagues last season, and Basallo only has one month of Triple-A at-bats under his belt. But both will enter spring training and the regular season banging on the door between Norfolk and Baltimore.

Mayo, 23, went 4-for-41 across two MLB stints last year, but that doesn’t diminish his dominance in Triple-A. The 2020 fourth-round draft pick hit .287 with a .926 OPS and 48 extra-base hits — 23 doubles, 22 homers and three triples — in 89 games. Baseball America considered him a top 10 prospect in September, but the publication dropped him 21 spots this offseason.

Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said during the winter meetings in December that he didn’t want to put too much pressure on Mayo entering the 2025 season. But Elias said there are “so many ways” Mayo can find his name in Baltimore’s lineup this year.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity for him,” Elias said. “He’s still a young guy. He’s yet to really establish himself in the majors, so he’s not somebody that we want to put too much of a burden on right out the shute. But there’s so many ways for him to fit into this lineup, and his bat could explode this year or at least take a step forward from his debut. If that happens, we’ll be sure to get him in the lineup.”

The best-case scenario for Mayo is he has a Colton Cowser-esque bounce back in 2025. Cowser also stumbled in his first taste of the show in 2023, only to crush the ball during spring training to earn a roster spot, take advantage of his opportunity in April to win a starting job and emerge as one of the best rookies in baseball.

Mayo has the potential to do the same in 2025, but earning a roster spot and a starting job will be harder for him than it was for Cowser.

A way-too-early projection of the Orioles’ opening day roster would likely leave Mayo off, even with Baltimore going with an infield-heavy approach. The seven infielders likely to break camp with the club are: Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn, Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías and Jorge Mateo. All are signed for 2025 except Mateo, who was tendered a contract in November but has yet to avoid arbitration by agreeing to terms with the club on his salary for the season.

Mayo’s simplest path to joining the big league roster is an injury to one of the above players. His ability to play both corner infield spots — even if he’s not considered a plus defender — could increase his odds. The other path is the Orioles part ways with Urías or Mateo at some point this year, though their contributions during the 2024 season make this scenario unlikely.

A move to the outfield is also improbable, Elias said.

Since he was drafted, the idea of Mayo moving to right field has been floated given his arm strength and struggles at the hot corner.

“It’s something we talk about here and there. I just think with his lack of experience out there, with how big and tall he is and with his infield skills and with our outfield, it’s not something that we’ve made any plans to advance,” Elias said. “But he is athletic enough to do it, he’s a good enough baseball player to do it. But it’s not something we’re planning on pushing real heavily as of this time.”

Positional ambiguity also applies to Basallo, a catcher who can also play first base. With Rutschman entrenched behind the plate and Basallo’s bat far ahead of his glove, it’s possible the youngster is moved to first base or designated hitter early in his big league career. Or he could be Baltimore’s No. 2 catcher and play first or DH on the other days.

When those days come, though, remain to be seen. Basallo, 20, will almost certainly open the season in Triple-A. But if he performs there the way he did at the lower levels, a 2025 debut is quite possible.

“Samuel Basallo is an incredible player,” said Anthony Villa, the Orioles’ director of player development, during the winter meetings. “The fact that he’s doing what he’s doing at freshly turned 20 years old is amazing. All in all, a very productive season for him to be that young and play as well as he did at Double-A and advance up into Triple-A. If you were to talk to him, he understands that continued maturity is a thing. I don’t think any 20-year-old is ever ready for upper-level baseball. He continues to learn from each game, the little mistakes, the emotional struggles that each game can provide.”

Basallo was one of the best minor leaguers in 2023 and followed that up with a solid 2024 campaign in which he hit .289 with an .820 OPS at Double-A before his late-season promotion to Triple-A.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.