On Saturday, as Samuel Basallo sat beside the highest-ranking members of the Orioles organization and spoke about the eight-year contract extension he had just signed, the man who helped make it possible watched from the back of the room.

Visiting from the Dominican Republic, Gerardo Cabrera, the Orioles’ director of Latin American scouting, sat away from the cameras and the spotlight. He was in Baltimore, along with other members of the team’s international contingent, for a week of meetings that just so happened to coincide with Basallo’s home debut and extension announcement.

The fact that Basallo, who is locked up through at least 2033 now, has the opportunity to change the course of the franchise is no surprise to Cabrera. Although he didn’t think it would come so early — Basallo is only 21 and debuted just five days prior to the deal being announced — he said he knew, from the moment he saw him hit, that Basallo had all the pieces to be a star.

“You have a gut feeling in your heart when you sign somebody,” Cabrera said. “We felt that he was going to be impressive. You had that feeling that he’s different.”

In 2017, when Cabrera was working for the New York Mets, he stumbled onto a field at Ivan Noboa’s academy in San Gregorio de Nigua, Dominican Republic. There, among some of the best talent in the area, was a tween Basallo, a tall, uncoordinated player with feet that were too big trying to play shortstop.

Basallo was weak — and shortstop clearly wasn’t his position — but Cabrera was told to just wait, he had to see Basallo hit. So Cabrera stayed, and as he watched Basallo take batting practice he immediately noticed how easy his swing was.

He knew this guy had to stay on his radar, especially as Cabrera switched from the Mets to the Orioles in 2019. Mike Elias had just been hired as general manager, and, after years of virtually ignoring the international market, the Orioles were ready to invest.

By this point, Basallo was bigger and stronger, with a faster bat and even more power potential. And he now was a catcher, a position that Cabrera felt was a much better fit for his skills. He told Michael Cruz, the area scout, that they had to stay on him because there was something special about Basallo. Cruz and Cabrera stayed close, spending hours charting every at-bat and observing Basallo.

They were impressed with his maturity, his education and, most important, his drive.

“You have a gut feeling in your heart when you sign somebody. We felt that he was going to be impressive. You had that feeling that he’s different.”

Orioles scout Gerardo Cabrera on Samuel Basallo

“He told me that he doesn’t want to be like a regular player; he wants to be the best player in baseball,” Cabrera said. “I think, with his work ethic, the way he behaves, his family and training, they are a big part of that.”

There was just one problem. Basallo was rumored to be linked to another team and thought to be off limits. Although a player can’t sign as an international free agent until he is 16, it is commonplace for players to verbally agree to deals prior to that date.

Cabrera said he can’t remember the specifics of it anymore, but it did not hold up. And, because he and Cruz had a relationship with Basallo, they became a front-runner.

Next, they had to convince Basallo and his family that they were the right team. On visits to his parents’ house in Santo Domingo, ones that also included Elias, they sold him on the homegrown draft picks — such as Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman — they were developing and how their farm system was going to get the team out of the trenches of the rebuild.

The Orioles knew, to get Basallo, they also had to front the money, something they hadn’t been willing to do previously. On Jan. 15, 2021, it became official. Basallo was an Oriole, and he was getting a $1.3 million signing bonus, a franchise record for an international player at the time.

Cabrera stayed in touch with Basallo as he went through the ups and downs of baseball life. When things got tough for Basallo and he was hard on himself, Cabrera reminded him that he needed to trust himself and those abilities that Cabrera first noticed on that field all those years ago.

As Basallo quickly rose through the minor leagues, the Orioles’ efforts in Latin America only picked up. Except now they didn’t need to point to Henderson or Rutschman as their homegrown success stories — they had Basallo, their star in the making.

Since Basallo signed 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. There are others coming up who the Orioles think have a chance to make it to the majors, including second baseman Aron Estrada and outfielder Thomas Sosa, who were both signed in 2022.

Those players, though, are all a few levels away. Basallo isn’t anymore. On Aug. 17, as Basallo made his major league debut in Houston, the players and staff at the Orioles’ academy in the Dominican Republic threw a party. It was a success story for Basallo, of course — just making it to the majors, let alone as a 21-year-old, is an impressive feat — and also for the Orioles and Cabrera.

They built this program from the ground up, and now they had their first homegrown international prospect to make a major league debut since Jonathan Schoop in 2013.

“His desire, his passion is really strong, and you’re able to see it on the field,” Koby Perez, the Orioles’ vice president of international scouting and operations, said about Basallo. “I think he’s going to be a role model for our program moving forward.”

A few days later, Cabrera traveled to Baltimore, where he got to watch Basallo make his home debut on Thursday, finalize his extension Friday and celebrate it on Saturday.

“It’s unbelievable,” Cabrera said. “It’s out of this world. To be a part of this, it’s an honor.”

Now, as Basallo continues his major league career, Cabrera is headed back to the Dominican Republic to continue his scouting duties.

The goal is no longer to rebuild the program; it’s to find more players like Basallo.