While the Baltimore Orioles have drafted 15 catchers and signed 16 others during the international signing period since the start of the 2019 season, three of them have stood above the rest in terms of legitimate future catchers for the Baltimore Orioles. Those three are Adley Rutschman and Orioles prospects Samuel Basallo and Creed Willems. While Rutschman made his debut back in 2022 and has been a top-10 catcher since then, both Basallo and Willems are still within the farm system at Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Chesapeake, respectively.
Orioles Prospects’ Strong Play Forcing Baltimore’s Hand
So far in the 2025 season, Samuel Basallo is hitting at a slash line of .245/.350/.559 with 14 extra-base hits in 30 games so far, striking out 29 times while drawing 17 walks in 119 plate appearances. This success has come as Basallo has played the majority of his games this season as a designated hitter due to right elbow inflammation at the beginning of the year.
Samuel Basallo — the youngest player in Triple-A at just 20 years old — goes deep off a two-time All-Star!
MLB’s No. 10 prospect (@Orioles) rockets this one at 107.6 mph off Brandon Woodruff for the @NorfolkTides: pic.twitter.com/VNrLbI0jrC
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 7, 2025
While Creed Willems is a level below Basallo, his numbers are nonetheless still very impressive. In 38 games this season, Willems is batting .272 with a .863 OPS, slugging six home runs and 11 doubles in those 38 games. This comes as Willems has split time between catcher and first base so far this year, playing 16 games at catcher, 11 at first, and the other 11 as the DH for the Chesapeake Baysox.
At the MLB level, Adley Rutschman has had a lackluster start to the season, hitting only .211 with a sub-700 OPS at .659 for the switch-hitting catcher so far. While the initial signs were very strong as he posted an .809 OPS in his first full season, his all-around numbers have dropped off since then to the level he is at today.
What Does the Future Hold for the Orioles Prospects?
As of now, it seems that Basallo could get called up to the majors anytime around the All-Star break. Basallo would, of course, have to continue his success, but it is not unreasonable to believe he will. The timeline seems to be longer for Creed Willems, as it could still be another 2-3 years until he gets his chance. With this, we could potentially see a full season of Samuel Basallo in 2026 before we get a chance to see what Willems can do at the top level, which could influence the Orioles’ decision on how to progress with the three-catcher tandem.
Potential Solutions for this Problem
While many solutions exist, the most probable would involve trading at least one top Orioles prospect. The first scenario is that the Orioles find a suitable trade partner for Creed Willems, seeing as there is no clear path for him at this time. This involves finding a team needing a potential franchise catcher, such as the Minnesota Twins or Pittsburgh Pirates. This would then allow Basallo to split time at both catcher and first with Adley Rutschman and fellow prospect Coby Mayo. The second is a trade of Coby Mayo, who can play both first base and third for a team in need. Doing this would allow Willems to become a full-time first baseman, with Basallo splitting reps with Rutschman. Both of these decisions are based on the Orioles giving Adley Rutschman an extension down the line, locking him up for the foreseeable future as their primary catcher.
Photo Credit: © Lauren Roberts/Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
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