The hype for Orioles’ Samuel Basallo is real. But immediate success is rare. | ANALYSIS

HOUSTON The hype surrounding Samuel Basallo is warranted.The 21-year-old top prospect is oozing with tantalizing talent and booming tools.

He has a hose behind the plate.

He can do splits while stretching at first base.

And the ball makes a different sound off his bat.Basallos stardom before he even played one major league game wasnt some media creation, though prospect publications like Baseball America have certainly praised the 6-foot-4 masher.

For years, his teammates, coaches and organization leaders have consistently spoken about Basallo as if hes a budding superstar.Koby Perez, the Orioles vice president of international scouting and operations, said in 2024 that Basallo is different and special.

Michael Cruz, the Orioles scout who spent more than 20 hours a week in the Dominican Republic watching Basallo play as a teenager, likened signing him for $1.3 million in 2021 to hitting the jackpot.

Matt Blood, the Orioles vice president of player development and domestic scouting, compared Basallos confidence and drive to that of Gunnar Henderson.

Josh Bunselmeyer, a hitting coach who followed Basallo throughout his climb through the minor leagues, said Basallos work ethic is unparalleled.During spring training, then-manager Brandon Hyde, perpetually reluctant to overhype young players, said Basallos physical tools are off the charts.

Orioles assistant hitting coach Sherman Johnson described Basallo as a monster.

Jackson Holliday said Sunday that his new teammate as a crazy talent, while Dylan Beavers, who was promoted one day before Basallo, couldnt stop giggling when discussing his friends offensive ability.Basallo is not like most other ballplayers.

But the big leagues are a pressure-cooker, an equalizer where prospect status and tool grades are irrelevant.

It cant be forgotten that many former Orioles top prospects stumbled early in their major league careers.

Some of them quickly adjusted; others have yet to.It isnt a question of if Basallo will deal with failure, but rather when.

How he handles that whenever it comes be it Monday this week, next month, next year or in a decade will ultimately determine whether Basallo reaches his indescribable potential.All prospects are hyped now, interim manager Tony Mansolino said Sunday before Basallo went 1-for-4 with a two-run single in his debut against the Astros, a 12-0 Orioles win.

Whether youre the first prospect or the 175th prospect, theres a website and theres Twitter handles.

All these prospects are overhyped in a lot of ways.

The reality is this level, the major leagues, is really, really difficult.

So whether youre the No.

1-ranked guy or youre not the No.

1-ranked guy, this is going to be a challenge, and everybody kind of blossoms at different times in the big leagues.Basallo, who homered in a whopping 8.5% of his at-bats in Triple-A this season, entered the clubhouse Sunday with an aura of someone who deserved to be there, not the soft-spoken, baby-faced youngster he is.

Mansolino said Basallo handled his meeting with the coaching staff like someone who knows he belongs.He doesnt seem overwhelmed by any means, he said.Basallo has a work ethic beyond his years as a result of his upbringing.

He began training like a professional when he was 12 years old in the Dominican Republic, waking up at 4:30 a.m.

to work out at his academy.

He spent most of the next five years hoping to get signed by an MLB team, and that dream became a reality when the Orioles gave him a $1.3 million signing bonus, the largest in franchise history at the time.So while Basallo turned 21 just last week, hes been working tirelessly for nearly a decade to be a big leaguer.I think being able to sign early has helped me tremendously, Basallo said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones.

Just being able to grow and mature as a person and as a baseball player.

Ive noticed that change in me, a lot since the day I signed.

I feel like its been a big difference.At the same time, Basallos expectations of himself are greater than the hype anyone else could place on him.

Hes already reminding himself to be patient.Orioles road to the show: Samuel Basallo has arrived.

Heres how he got here.[Im] not trying to focus too much on whats said out and around and in the media or what have you, Basallo said.

Some guys are going to succeed quicker than others; some guys take more time.

But Im just going to continue to trust the process and do whatevers asked of me with all the love in the world and do the best I can.Mansolino said what will help Basallos transition is that he has models to follow in Henderson and Holliday, two former No.

1 overall prospects who also debuted in their early 20s.

Holliday struggled so much at first that he was demoted before becoming an everyday player this year, while Henderson slumped to begin his first full big league season.While Jordan Westburg is one of the only top Orioles prospects not to struggle early in his MLB career, he knows the show is filled with pitfalls.

He experienced a few this season with multiple injuries and a slump caused by one.Well see how it goes, Westburg said after expressing excitement for having Beavers and Basallo in the clubhouse.

Hopefully those guys keep their feet underneath them and kind of calm down and just play the game the way theyve played it their whole lives.Orioles top prospect Samuel Basallo turned 21 last week.

(David J.

Phillip/AP)Mansolino spent much of Sunday watching every move Basallo made.

The skipper wants to know what makes Basallo tick and how he handles adversity.

He passed his first early test by roping a two-run single for his first career hit one inning after he had a home run robbed.Im watching how he makes eye contact with me, with the other coaches, with the players, how he handles the things that arent positive in this game, cause hes going to get a lot of them, Mansolino said.

This isnt going to be easy.

This is going to be really hard.

Watching how he handled that was a positive.Success in professional baseball, especially the major leagues, isnt linear.

Speed bumps await, just like they did for the Orioles prospects who came before him.

But Basallo is ready for the challenge.Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer..

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