The Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo has had a stellar month of May, batting .309 with three home runs and 13 RBI.
The Baltimore Orioles are 25-30 and sitting in fourth place in the American League East, 10 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. Consistency has been hard to come by in Birdland, but Samuel Basallo has been one of the few bright spots.
Basallo launched his eighth home run of the season on Tuesday, the latest highlight in a stretch that has seen the 21-year-old become one of the more reliable offensive pieces in Baltimore's lineup as of late. Over his last 20 games, Basallo is hitting .317 with three home runs and 13 RBI. Manager Craig Albernaz, postgame, praised Basallo’s ability to learn quickly and adapt to the game.
"The talent is real and the way he can learn on the fly and adjust, it's really impressive," Albernaz said. 'It's been really impressive."
The numbers prove that Basallo has found his footing. Basallo posted a .754 OPS in March and April. In May, that number jumped to .877 while carrying a .309 batting average, with still a few more games to go before the calendar turns to June.
What makes the production more impressive is where it's coming from. Basallo is posting an .811 OPS as a designated hitter and an .800 OPS as a catcher per MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
There’s no question that catching drains a lot of energy in ways that don’t show up in the box score. Wearing the gear, managing a pitching staff and handling the mental load of running a game behind the plate takes a toll. Most hitters see a measurable drop in their production when asked to catch regularly. Basallo is not showing that with just an 11-point gap between his OPS as a catcher and DH. He is producing at the same level regardless of where the lineup card puts him.
The impact he brings to the team also shows up in the team's results. Basallo is slashing .310/.372/.563 with a .935 OPS in Baltimore wins. Baltimore's long-term future belongs to Basallo. They made that clear when they signed him to an eight-year, $67 million extension last August. With Adley Rutschman under team control through only next season, the catching job is Basallo’s to claim.
MLB.com's Jake Rill wrote about Basallo having a potential breakout that could come in early 2026, and it’s not hard to see why. If the young catcher can continue to produce at this level, an AL Rookie of the Year conversation is not a stretch.
