Next Baltimore Orioles Top Prospect Expected to Need More Time in Minors

One of the Baltimore Orioles' top youngsters might not have a path open to enough playing time to graduate from prospect status next year.

Mar 11, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; A detailed view of Baltimore Orioles baseball hats and gloves in the dugout during the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have continuously seen young players take over MLB roster spots for the past few years, but have now reach a conundrum of not having enough playing time for their star prospects that may be ready for the next level.

MLB prospect analyst Jim Callis recently looked through each team's prospect list to figure out who will sit atop the rankings at this time next year.

The current leader for the Orioles, Coby Mayo, is expected to graduate from prospect status this season. Calls predicts that fellow star Samuel Basallo will not have enough playing time to do the same, leaving him to take over the top spot once Mayo graduates.

It not only be a shock, but a disappointment to not see Mayo move on from that the pipeline next season.

The former second young pick is not only the best in Baltimore, but sits at No. 8 in all of baseball. He made his MLB debut last year, but only played in 17 games.

Like Jackson Holliday before him, he ran into early struggles on offense. Mayo posted just a .098/.196/.098 slash line, picking up just four singles in his first crack at Major League pitching.

The 23-year-old is still one of the most exciting prospects in baseball, though, thanks to just how dominant he was in Triple-A. He hit at least 25 home runs in the last two campaigns, reaching the mark in just 93 games last year.

He should be able to figure out his swing the MLB, he just needs time.

Speaking of time, this prediction sees Basallo get plenty of reps against Triple-A pitching before making the move up to the Majors.

The international signing success story made it to the highest level of the minors before he turned 20. Many people expect him to get called up in 2025, but there is little reason to rush him.

He did struggle out of the gate at Triple-A, putting up a .222/.267/.370 slash line with three home runs in 21 games. That isn't the reason that he will have issues getting called up, though. It's more that there is little room for him in the MLB lineup right now and making him sit would be detrimental.

Basallo has already switched from being a catcher, given that Adley Rutschman is a cornerstone there.

With Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O'Hearn and Mayo all fighting for at-bats between first base and DH, Basallo is an odd man out.

O'Hearn is entering the last year of team control and Mountcastle has just two, so either they trade one (potentially both) of them or they have an elite young slugger waiting in the wings for when their vets hit free agency.