When the Orioles signed Samuel Basallo in 2021, sneaking in to grab the young catcher after he was originally linked to the Yankees, they wooed him with the highest signing for an international player in franchise history up to that point and the promise that their picks from the amateur draft would help turn the Orioles around.

The international program, an afterthought for years under the ownership of the late Peter Angelos, was still in the early stages of being reworked. Koby Perez was only two years into his role as senior director of international scouting for the Orioles and they didn’t have much to point to in terms of success developing Latin American prospects.

But suddenly they had Basallo, a fiery 6-foot-4 catcher from the Dominican Republic who hits with the baseball so hard the sound off the bat turns heads. He was their first big pickup of this new era, a game-changing player that has already altered the program before he’s even stepped on a major league field. His signing has helped them attract more top talent, and since his $1.3 million deal in 2021, the Orioles have broken their international signing bonus record twice, with Dominican outfielder Braylin Tavera at $1.7 million in 2022 and Dominican shortstop Luis Almeyda at $2.3 million in 2023.

As MLB’s international signing period opens Wednesday, the Orioles will add even more talent to that pool. While the Orioles aren’t expected to break the team’s bonus record again, they do plan to sign about a dozen new players, with the likelihood of adding more later in the signing period.

“It’s kind of showing, ‘Hey you sign with us, you have a good chance to develop into a good prospect and you’ll have opportunity,’” Perez said. “Proof of concept is we can do it. Sign with us, we can do it.”

For years, the Orioles’ top prospects were players they drafted, developed and turned into major league players, such as Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. But now, they are on the cusp of seeing a player they signed out of Latin America take that step.

While there have been major league success stories, such as Félix Bautista, who was originally signed by the Marlins but spent two years playing for the Orioles’ Dominican Summer League team, and others who have been included in trades, the Orioles have not had a homegrown international prospect make a major league debut since Jonathan Schoop in 2013.

This season could be the year.

“I think once that barrier breaks, then it starts to be like an every year-type thing,” Perez said. “The first one, you’re always anxious to start seeing these guys help us provide value on our club.”

In 2019, when Perez was hired, the Orioles had no homegrown international prospects in their top 30. Now they have 12, with Basallo leading the way at No. 2. They signed him not knowing if he would stick at catcher — his size was a concern — but his flexibility is there and he can “do a full split like a ballerina,” Perez said.

He ended last season in Triple-A, where he hit .222 in 21 games for the Tides. At 20 years old, he could be ready for his major league debut at the end of the season or early 2026, either as a catcher or designated hitter.

“It’s easy to envision him being a superstar in the big leagues someday,” Perez said. “We’re hoping that comes sooner rather than later. The sooner the better for us.”

The team’s most recent signings are further behind, but the organization has already seen progress in the Dominican Summer League, where the Orioles affiliate made the playoffs last year. That group includes Keeler Morfe, an undersized right-handed pitcher signed in 2023, who can hit triple digits. He ended the year in Low-A. Jordan Sanchez, a powerful corner outfielder signed out of Cuba in 2024, and Esteban Mejia, a right-handed pitcher also signed in 2024 who has a high-powered fastball and slider, also stand out.

A new academy in the Dominican Republic that opened just ahead of the 2024 international signing period has the Orioles believing they can do a better job preparing that talent — and attract better talent, too.

The facility includes three full baseball fields, a state-of-the-art weight room and housing for 100 players. It also has classrooms where players, who usually arrive when they are 16, can complete their high school degrees and take English lessons to help them prepare for life in the United States.

“You get shock value when you see the academy,” Perez said. “It’s like if you go visit a university, you are going to want to see the facilities, and that a lot times trumps other choices. Our facilities are really high-end and really nice and new, so players are excited about that.”

This was all a part of the vision when general manager Mike Elias handed the reigns of the international program to Perez. Now, that first wave of high draft picks — including Rutschman and Henderson — has developed, and the international signees are just a step away from joining them.

“We ended up filling the major league team with a lot of good young players, and now it’s the internationals calling,” Perez said.