RADIO
Samuel Basallo 2025 Fantasy Baseball Outlook: Can He Make an Impact in 2025?
1 hour agoThere's no denying that Samuel Basallo is one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball, but will he be able to make an impact for fantasy leagues in 2025? In 127 games between Double-A and Triple-A, Basallo slashed .278/.341/.449 with 19 home runs and 10 steals, finishing the season with a trio of home runs in 21 Triple-A games. While Basallo has consistently flexed his plus raw power in the minors which includes a 48% hard-hit rate in Triple-A, Basallo's contact rate dipped to 65% at the level with a 17.7% swinging strike rate. I'm not terrible concerned by that, but Basallo is probably more of a .260-.270 hitter than a .280-.290 hitter long-term while flirting with or exceeding 25 home runs annually. The long-term upside is a Top-5 player at catcher or Top 10 at first base, but when will he see regular playing time with Baltimore? Given the presence of Ryan Mountcastle at first base, Ryan O'Hearn at DH, and Adley Rutschman at catcher, I'm wondering if Basallo's 2025 season somewhat mirrors Coby Mayo's 2024 in terms of playing time at each level.
