There are batting practices, and then there are batting practices.

Samuel Basallo’s BP sessions are of the second kind.

A spring training session — back in February when Brandon Hyde was still manager and the Orioles were still AL East contenders — has stuck in my mind. While the difference between how far and how hard big leaguers hit often seems subtle, when the 20-year-old catching prospect swings, the pop of his bat and the uncanny zoom of his moon shots somehow set him apart.

When Basallo brings that swing to Camden Yards someday, his BPs will make for in-demand pregame viewing, like Chris Davis in his home run-hammering heyday.

But as much as fans want that time to arrive right now, the Orioles are absolutely correct to hold off on Basallo’s big league debut.

There’s an Adley Rutschman-sized hole at catcher from now until at least the All-Star break. Gary Sánchez and Chadwick Tromp might play well in the interim, but they’ll never be able to replicate the Orioles’ franchise catcher of the present — or generate the excitement of Basallo, who represents the future.

Rutschman’s injury, along with Maverick Handley’s sudden stint on the injury list in concussion protocol, feels like an opportunity to start the future now. Basallo has caught nearly 200 games in the minors, and he’s hit six homers in his first 14 games of June while notching a .968 OPS for the season so far. His left-handed bat would work as a compliment for Sánchez in a platoon, at least until Rutschman is healthy again.

It all seems to align so beautifully. Except we all know this is never how it goes.

Just about every debut of every young Oriole on the current roster has been at least a little deflating when their rocketlike minor league trajectory butts up against the reality of major league pitching.

Gunnar Henderson went through an early 2023 slump. Colton Cowser got seven hits in his first 77 plate appearances that same year. Jackson Holliday famously went through it last spring, needing a full year to get to the productivity that has him knocking on the door of the American League All-Star team. Coby Mayo has gained momentum over his last six games, but it has been hard-won after underwhelming earlier stints with the club.

There’s every reason to think Basallo, as special as his power can be, will hit the same learning curve. It may be unavoidable to go through it at some point, but it’s hard to imagine now is the time.

The Orioles are finally hot again, going 13-8 to start June, including two series sweeps. There is daily pressure to make up the still-sizeable gap in the division and the wild-card race, in which Baltimore is 6.5 games out.

Losing Rutschman for a month does serious damage to the ambition of getting back to reasonable contention by the trade deadline at the end of July, it’s true. But it’s difficult to imagine a realistic scenario in which Basallo swoops in to cover that gap. It’s not fair to ask a rookie to take that pressure upon himself, no matter how strong his bat or his throwing arm is.

Conventional wisdom is that catchers take a bit longer to prepare for the MLB. Rutschman debuted at 24 years old after college success and 110 minor league catching starts. So far, Basallo has only caught in 16 of his 48 games for the Norfolk Tides this season, making starts at designated hitter and first base as well.

Even if Sánchez and Tromp do little to provide an offensive punch from the catcher position (though I’d argue Sánchez can continue his bounce-back), if Basallo underperforms for a team still clawing back, it could be a bigger setback for his own headspace. It’s asking enough of Basallo, a player who has had to work to curb his more tempestuous and emotional impulses, to find success as a big-leaguer in the best of circumstances. There’s plenty of pressure already.

The Orioles are decidedly not in the best of circumstances, and it would be wiser to wait for a moment when he doesn’t have to play with the club’s expectations on his considerably broad shoulders.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino made a salient point the other day when asked about the prospect of Basallo’s promotion, which even a week ago nobody was clamoring for like they are now.

“I don’t think you take a guy like Samuel Basallo and you bring him to the big leagues just because there’s a need,” he said. “I think you bring Samuel Basallo to the big leagues when he’s absolutely destroyed Triple-A in all facets of the game — his at-bats, his defense, everything. So when he destroys Triple-A and he knocks the door down, to me, then he becomes part of the conversation.”

Basallo is good enough that he deserves to come up to Baltimore on his own terms, not as a stopgap solution. While I’ve been critical in the past of the front office’s conservative tendencies, this is an instance when the franchise’s capacity for patience could pay greater dividends down the road.

The 2025 season is still in the air, and while the Orioles are still fighting to save it, they can afford to keep their best remaining prospect at bay.

In this case, the future should be worth the wait.