DALLAS — For the second time in the Mike Elias era, the Orioles have a superstar catcher waiting in the wings.

Samuel Basallo, all of 20 years old, is younger now than Adley Rutschman was when he became the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. But the 2021 international signee is already earning the kind of praise that was heaped upon his predecessor.

“It’s easy to envision him being a superstar in the big leagues someday,” said Koby Perez, the Orioles’ vice president of international scouting and operations. “We’re hoping that comes sooner rather than later. The sooner the better for us.”

How soon, though? Basallo finished his impressive 2024 season in Triple-A Norfolk, hitting .222 in 21 games for the Tides. He’s ranked 13th on both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America’s top 100 prospects lists. But the Orioles just placed a 6-2, 258-pound obstacle in his path to the big leagues.

Gary Sánchez, who reportedly agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Orioles on Saturday, comes to Baltimore with 10 years of big league catching experience, and has been one of the best power hitters at his position since he entered the league. Basallo, it appears, will have to wait a bit before he’s considered for a callup.

That may be a tough pill to swallow for the ultra-ambitious backstop.

“His mindset is, he doesn’t want to be a big leaguer. He wants to be the best big leaguer,” said Perez, speaking to the media at the baseball winter meetings. “His mindset is, ‘I want to be the best player. I want a Hall of Famer-type player.’”

Basallo’s competitive fire has been hard to contain at times. But Perez, who handed Basallo a $1.3 million bonus to sign with the club nearly four years ago, has watched him develop as a player and a young man.

“He has grown,” said Perez. “You gotta remember, he was 16 years old. He was still crying at times when things don’t go his way. He’s maturing, he’s getting stronger. ... He keeps pushing himself. He’s not happy when it doesn’t go his way, but now he’s able to control it better and I think he’s becoming an adult.”

“I don’t think any 20-year-old is ever ready for upper-level baseball,” said Anthony Villa, the Orioles’ director of player development. “But he continues to learn from each game and the little mistakes and emotional struggles that each game can provide, and he’s doing a really nice job with that.”

Despite his strong arm, Basallo is still considered by scouts to be somewhat of a work-in-progress defensively. MLB Pipeline and Baseball America give his fielding tool a grade of just 45 on a 20-80 scale. But the Orioles are adamant he’s still viewed as a catcher long-term.

“This guy is super flexible. He can do a full split like a ballerina,” said Perez. “He works hard. He’s an amazing worker. His arm strength, his flexibility and his determination lead me to believe that he’ll be a really good catcher in the future.”

Sánchez, meanwhile, has never had elite blocking skills, at least according to Statcast.

The Brewers stuck Sánchez behind the dish in just 28 of his 89 games (31%) in 2024, but that’s because they boast two-time All-Star William Contreras as their primary backstop. First base is the only other position Sánchez has manned in his career, but he’s appeared in just seven games there. With Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn set to return in 2025, the Orioles don’t need another first baseman.

Rutschman, of course, isn’t moving off catcher any time soon. The American League’s starter at catcher in the 2024 All-Star Game has received pitches in 306 of his 415 career games (74%). While Elias wouldn’t comment on the Sánchez deal, which has not yet been made official, he indicated that Rutschman’s workload would remain about the same in 2025 as it has been the past three seasons.

“I think he’s been up for two years and 75% of another year, something like that,” said Elias. “I think that’s a pretty good body of work to show where both he and we kinda see the sweet spot of his catching time. And then obviously he’s doing a lot of DHing when he’s not catching. So that counts as something that you need some rest from, too. So I think looking back is an indicator of what we like for him going forward. Definitely don’t plan to have him catch all 162 games.”

With Rutschman and Sánchez locking up Basallo’s primary position, it’s difficult to see a way for him to reach the majors in 2025, barring an injury or trade. But it’s hard to discount the way Orioles officials talk about him.

“The skill set is amazing and it’s really awesome to see him continue to see what he’s capable of every night,” said Villa.