Inside The Orioles

Can Baltimore Orioles Farm System Extend Historic Run?

The Baltimore Orioles' farm system just made history. Will history repeat itself?

Tyler Maher

Can Baltimore Orioles Farm System Extend Historic Run?
Can Baltimore Orioles Farm System Extend Historic Run? /
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In case it wasn't known by now, the Baltimore Orioles' farm system is pretty good.

In fact, it's historically good.

The Orioles are the only team to have Baseball America's No. 1 prospect three years in a row.

The streak started with star catcher Adley Rutschman, who was BA's top prospect in 2022. He was followed by Gunnar Henderson in 2023, who promptly won AL Rookie of the Year.

Jackson Holliday leads the publication's rankings in 2024, which were released earlier this week. 

Incredibly, Baltimore's run may not stop there. The Orioles already have a strong contender for the top spot on the 2025 list as well.

That would be Samuel Basallo -- a catcher/first baseman who's being touted as the next big thing in Baltimore's pipeline. He's only 19, but he already climbed the ladder from Single-A to High-A to Double-A last year. 

Basallo will start this season in Double-A after playing only four games there last year, but it wouldn't surprise anyone to see him move up to Triple-A and perhaps even the majors later this season if he continues his current trajectory.

In 114 games across three levels in 2023, the Dominican native socked 20 homers with 86 RBIs. He also slashed .313/.402/.551 with 12 stolen bases.

His OPS improved at each stop, too, so he had no problem adjusting to tougher competition.

The Orioles already have their franchise catcher in Rutschman, so Basallo will likely end up at first base whenever he arrives in Baltimore.

Still, his ability to fill in behind the plate is a bonus.

Baseball fans may be sick of seeing Orioles players at the top of prospect rankings, but they better get used to it.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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