Catcher Samuel Basallo and outfielders Enrique Bradfield Jr., Dylan Beavers and Jud Fabian will get a taste of major league spring training this month.
The four top-30 prospects are among the 26 non-roster players the Orioles invited to camp, which begins Feb. 13 for pitchers and catchers and Feb. 18 for the rest of the team. The first spring training game is Feb. 22.
Basallo was in big league camp last year, but this will be the first experience for Bradfield Jr., Beavers and Fabian. Although none is expected to make the major league team, this will be valuable experience for them to learn and train alongside Orioles players.
Of the group, Basallo, the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect according to MLB pipeline, is the closest to making that leap. The 20-year-old hit .278 with 19 home runs across Double-A and Triple-A last season. The Orioles signed Gary Sánchez to a one-year, $8.5 million deal this offseason to be Adley Rutschman’s backup, likely opening the possibility that Basallo could be ready to share the spotlight with Rutschman by 2026.
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“It’s easy to envision him being a superstar in the big leagues someday,” Koby Perez, the Orioles’ vice president of international scouting and operations, said about Basallo at the winter meetings. “We’re hoping that comes sooner rather than later. The sooner the better for us.”
Bradfield Jr., Beavers and Fabian represent future options for the Orioles outfield, and where and when they fit will become clearer next winter. The Orioles’ current outfield includes Cedric Mullins, who is entering the final year of team control; Tyler O’Neill, who has an opt-out after this season; Ramón Laureano, who is on a one-year contract with a team option for 2026; Dylan Carlson, who is on a one-year deal; and Heston Kjerstad and Colton Cowser, who are under team control through 2030 and 2029, respectively.
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Bradfield Jr., the team’s top pick in the 2023 draft, ended last season in Double-A. Although not known for his power, he has elite speed, stealing 74 bases in 2024, and is a strong defender. Beavers sneaked up to Triple-A for the last week of the season, and he went 5-for-20 in six games. He had a .750 OPS with 15 home runs and 31 stolen bases across Double-A and Triple-A. Fabian, who also split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, is a plus defender with power potential, but he has high strikeout numbers.
On the pitching side, right-handed reliever Matt Bowman will be looking to earn a spot after spending the last month of the season in the Orioles’ bullpen, where he pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. Levi Stoudt, Corbin Martin, Thaddeus Ward and Raúl Alcántara also have major leauge experience.
Alcántara could be this spring’s Albert Suárez, a non-roster invitee last spring who ended up playing a key role on the injury-ridden Orioles pitching staff. Alcántara made a dozen major league appearances in 2016 and 2017 but, like Suárez, moved overseas to pitch in South Korea and Japan.
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Here’s the full list of non-roster players invited to spring training:
Pitchers (12)
- LHP Raúl Alcántara
- RHP Justin Armbruester
- RHP Matt Bowman
- LHP Jakob Hernandez
- RHP Yaramil Hiraldo
- RHP Corbin Martin
- RHP Robinson Martínez
- RHP Rodolfo Martínez
- RHP Levi Stoudt
- RHP Carlos Tavera
- RHP Thaddeus Ward
- RHP Nathan Webb
Catchers (4)
- Silas Ardoin
- David Bañuelos
- Samuel Basallo
- Maverick Handley
Infielders (5)
- Nick Gordon
- Jeremiah Jackson
- Vimael Machin
- Liván Soto
- Terrin Vavra
Outfielders (5)
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- Jordyn Adams
- Franklin Barreto
- Dylan Beavers
- Enrique Bradfield Jr.
- Jud Fabian
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