The pre-2026 prospect rankings lists continue to swoon over Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo.
In ESPN’s top 100 list published today, Kiley McDaniel ranks Basallo as MLB’s #4 prospect, behind only the consensus top three in baseball, Konnor Griffin (Pirates), Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), and Jesús Made (Brewers). ESPN’s ranking is the highest that Basallo has received among the prospect publications thus far, though he’s been a top 10 guy for all of them. MLB Pipeline and The Athletic both ranked Basallo at #8
and Baseball America #9.
Basallo is one of three Orioles prospects to appear on ESPN’s list, along with Trey Gibson (#46) and Dylan Beavers (#57).
McDaniel praises Basallo’s “huge bat speed and raw power” and writes that the youngster reminds him of “some Salvador Perez, a bit of Gary Sánchez, maybe a sprinkling of (whispers) Jim Thome.” I think any Oriole fan would be happy if Basallo’s career follows the path of Perez, who has 303 homers in 14 seasons and is still going strong for the Royals. And if Basallo hits anything like the Hall of Famer Thome, well…look out, baseball.
McDaniel is also more bullish on Basallo’s defense than some, calling his work behind the plate “acceptable.” (Yes, that qualifies as bullish.)
In terms of blocking and framing, Basallo is below average but respectable and is capable of improving a bit more. His arm is a true weapon, even though his exchange keeps his pop time from landing in plus-plus territory. In an automatic strike-calling future, this skill set could fit well.
As for the Orioles’ other prospects, ESPN joins Baseball America and MLB Pipeline in putting Beavers on its list. (The Athletic excluded him.) McDaniel touts Beavers as “likely a solid every-day right fielder in the big leagues,” predicting him for “an above-average on-base percentage” along with 15-20 home runs and stolen bases.
The biggest surprise on ESPN’s list was Gibson, the 23-year-old undrafted free agent who reached Triple-A in 2025 in his third season in the organization. McDaniel isn’t the only prospect writer who’s high on Gibson — BA also included him, at #72 — but he’s the only one to include him in his top 50 and rank him ahead of Beavers.
McDaniel calls Gibson a “supinator” — a pitcher who has a bias toward cutting the ball — and compares Gibson to current Orioles ace Kyle Bradish, former Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, and former O’s draft pick Nolan McLean, now ranked as the #13 prospect in baseball for the Mets. McDaniel is impressed by Gibson’s assortment of pitches, with a fastball that can hit 98 mph “backed up by three standout breaking balls and headlined by a plus curveball.” He pegs Gibson as a future MLB contributor in some capacity.
Gibson has massive, 7-foot extension and his higher arm slot means he works primarily with a riding four-seamer and vertical curveball versus McLean’s running two-seamer and sweeper, but the general shapes are quite similar. There’s a high floor for this type of arm — Gibson is almost a slam dunk to be a later-inning reliever if starting doesn’t work — but there’s also No. 2/No. 3 starter upside with one more tick of command refinement.
Unlike the three other publications, ESPN’s list doesn’t include High-A outfielder Nate George among the top 100 prospects.
A complete list of which Orioles are ranked on each prospect list so far, with publications such as FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus still to come:
- Baseball America: Basallo (#9), Beavers (#21), Gibson (#72), George (#86), Luis De León (#95)
- MLB Pipeline: Basallo (#8), Beavers (#69), George (#93)
- The Athletic: Basallo (#8), Wehiwa Aloy (#73), George (#78), Ike Irish (#85), Enrique Bradfield Jr. (#97)
- ESPN: Basallo (#4), Gibson (#46), Beavers (#57)
