With the baseball world ablaze with anticipation for where Roki Sasaki will go for his first MLB contract, international prospects as a whole are gettting a light shined on them.MLB prospect analysts Sam Dykstra, Jim Callis and Jonatahn Mayo recently came together to highlight each team's top international prospect. For the Baltimore Orioles, it is highly-touted slugger Samuel Basallo.Not only is Basallo the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball and the second-ranked player in the Orioles farm system, but he is the top overall ranked international player in the MLB pipeline.That will change when Sasaki joins the ranks, though. Since he is an amateur, he is subject to a minor league deal which will make him a prospect when he first debuts. He'll graduate from that status fairly quickly.Still being the second-best overall and top player developed in MLB systems is a very honorable designation for Basallo.Baltimore acquired him at the start of the 2021 signing period out of the Dominican Republic for a $1.3 million bonus, which was the most they had ever. Shortstop Luis Almeyda broke that record last year when he signed for $2.3 million.Basallo hit the ground running in professional baseball and has continued to impress since.His true breakout back in 2023 when he posted a .313/.402/.551 slash line with 20 home runs and 86 RBI in 114 games.His 2024 campaign did come with some regression, but it was still solid and against much better competition the entire time.The 20-year-old has one the most promising swings in baseball and could very realistically become one of the best offensive threats in the league.Some believe that Basallo could make his way up to the Majors at some point this season, but it might be hard because of the talent already at both of his positions.He came up as a catcher but was moved to first base because of Adley Rutschman.While first will be a need soon and the path will be open for him to take over, but Ryan Mountcastle has been solid there and doesn't need to be replaced yet. Even at designated hitter, they have Ryan O'Hearn.If Basallo is indeed ready, they could easily trade one of those two. The problem is that the Orioles have had a recent trend of calling players up too quickly and seeing them struggle.There is no need to rush him through the minors, so playing the waiting game could pay off.

Baltimore Orioles Have MLB's Best International Prospect Outside of Roki Sasaki

Still being the second-best overall and top player developed in MLB systems is a very honorable designation for Basallo.If Basallo is indeed ready, they could easily trade one of those two. The problem is that the Orioles have had a recent trend of calling players up too quickly and seeing them struggle.Basallo hit the ground […]

Still being the second-best overall and top player developed in MLB systems is a very honorable designation for Basallo.If Basallo is indeed ready, they could easily trade one of those two. The problem is that the Orioles have had a recent trend of calling players up too quickly and seeing them struggle.Basallo hit the ground running in professional baseball and has continued to impress since.He came up as a catcher but was moved to first base because of Adley Rutschman.There is no need to rush him through the minors, so playing the waiting game could pay off.That will change when Sasaki joins the ranks, though. Since he is an amateur, he is subject to a minor league deal which will make him a prospect when he first debuts. He’ll graduate from that status fairly quickly.Baltimore acquired him at the start of the 2021 signing period out of the Dominican Republic for a .3 million bonus, which was the most they had ever. Shortstop Luis Almeyda broke that record last year when he signed for .3 million.MLB prospect analysts Sam Dykstra, Jim Callis and Jonatahn Mayo recently came together to highlight each team’s top international prospect. For the Baltimore Orioles, it is highly-touted slugger Samuel Basallo.The 20-year-old has one the most promising swings in baseball and could very realistically become one of the best offensive threats in the league.His 2024 campaign did come with some regression, but it was still solid and against much better competition the entire time.While first will be a need soon and the path will be open for him to take over, but Ryan Mountcastle has been solid there and doesn’t need to be replaced yet. Even at designated hitter, they have Ryan O’Hearn.His true breakout back in 2023 when he posted a .313/.402/.551 slash line with 20 home runs and 86 RBI in 114 games.Some believe that Basallo could make his way up to the Majors at some point this season, but it might be hard because of the talent already at both of his positions.With the baseball world ablaze with anticipation for where Roki Sasaki will go for his first MLB contract, international prospects as a whole are gettting a light shined on them.Not only is Basallo the No. 13 prospect in all of baseball and the second-ranked player in the Orioles farm system, but he is the top overall ranked international player in the MLB pipeline.