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August 22, 2025, 1:00 pmLast Updated on August 22, 2025 1:00 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: August 22, 2025
Samuel Basallo would’ve expected to play first base and DH when he got the call up to the big leagues on Saturday, knowing the Orioles would throttle his playing time to preserve his rookie status for 2026. One oblique injury to Adley Rutschman later, Basallo is officially Baltimore’s starting catcher, and there’s every chance he’ll keep that role through the end of the season with the club having little incentive to rush Rutschman back. Amid all of the trade speculation for Basallo over the past couple of seasons, similar debate existed regarding his defensive position, call up timing and how potent his bat would be at the major league level, and we’ll look at how all of those project to shape out in the 5 weeks that remain in the 2025 season and beyond.
Defensively, Basallo is not an accomplished backstop, with ample concern over his sub-par blocking and receiving skills, and whether he could improve those skills enough to stick behind the plate at the big league level. A rocket right arm goes a long way towards the argument of him being a catcher long term, but with the defensive emphasis that most organizations place on their catchers in recent years, it would be very surprising to see any team commit to Basallo behind the plate for the future without some level of ABS implementation, and/or some strides made with his blocking and receiving.
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