SARASOTA, Fla. -- Samuel Basallo knew this day would come this spring. Coby Mayo, on the other hand, was hoping to do anything he could to prevent it.
The Orioles¡¯ top two prospects were among the latest round of Spring Training cuts on Tuesday afternoon. Bassallo (MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 13 overall prospect) was reassigned to Minor League camp, while Mayo (No. 14) was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.
For Basallo, the 20-year-old catcher knew all along he likely wouldn¡¯t be breaking camp with the big league team. He has only 21 games of Triple-A experience and needs a bit more seasoning at Norfolk.
Mayo, who has played 151 Triple-A games over the past two seasons, was disappointed to not be making his first Opening Day roster after playing 17 games for Baltimore last year. There wasn¡¯t room on a team that will feature Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O¡¯Hearn, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Ram¨®n Ur¨ªas in the infield mix. (As well as Gunnar Henderson, if his right intercostal strain doesn¡¯t send him to the injured list.)
¡°It definitely is difficult,¡± Mayo said of being optioned. ¡°It obviously sucks, because you feel like you¡¯ve proved everything you needed to. And sometimes, it doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s quite enough.
¡°You go back there and if you have success, it¡¯s, ¡®Oh, well he¡¯s supposed to have success, because he¡¯s already proved it.¡¯ And if he doesn¡¯t have success, it¡¯s, ¡®Oh, well obviously he¡¯s fallen off.¡¯ It¡¯s kind of a lose-lose going to Norfolk.¡±
At Triple-A, Mayo has put up massive numbers. He has hit .279 with 38 doubles, 34 home runs, 122 RBIs and a .919 OPS for the Tides.
Mayo struggled upon his arrival to the Majors, going 4-for-41 (.098) with no extra-base hits for the Orioles. He started slow this spring -- going 1-for-23 (.043) over his first nine Grapefruit League games -- before going 7-for-19 (.368) in his past eight contests.
¡°That¡¯s what happens when you have good teams. Good teams option players that they like,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said. ¡°I thought Coby ended his camp well. I thought he swung the bat well this last week, and so, we¡¯re happy about his performance, especially this last week of Spring Training. And the improvements he¡¯s made defensively at both [third base and first base].¡±
Hyde understands what players are feeling when they¡¯re told they¡¯re heading back to the Minor Leagues, especially those who have gotten a taste of the Majors. The skipper wants youngsters to use it as motivation to improve.
¡°I want guys to have confidence, for sure. It¡¯s tough to play at this level if you don¡¯t have big-time confidence,¡± Hyde said. ¡°I want guys to take it the right way. I want guys to try to prove that they should be in the big leagues by going and putting up performance, as well as working on things that we feel like they need to work on.¡±
The O¡¯s want Mayo to continue improving defensively while also gaining even more strike-zone awareness, a trait that should help him adjust to the faster speed of the big league game the next time he gets an opportunity (which could come at any point in 2025, potentially even early in the season).
As for Basallo, he turned heads all spring with his loud rounds of batting practice and his two homers over 16 Grapefruit Leagues games. He hit .226 with a .770 OPS, and his potential is quite high. But he needs more Triple-A reps to get him ready for the next level.
¡°He was so fun to watch for us in camp,¡± Hyde said. ¡°Knowing that he¡¯s going to go to Triple-A, knowing that he¡¯s 20 years old and doesn¡¯t have a lot of upper-level at-bats -- we feel like that¡¯s important. But I was super impressed with his defense at two positions. Love the way he played first. Really like the improvements he¡¯s made behind the plate.
¡°It was fun to watch him. We saw the raw power. Now, it¡¯s about understanding the strike zone and just getting more upper-level at-bats.¡±
It may not be too long before Basallo reaches the big leagues. He hopes it could be in 2025.
¡°I do feel like it¡¯s a possibility,¡± Basallo said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. ¡°That¡¯s the goal -- to force them to have to make that decision.¡±
The Orioles' Spring Training roster is down to 41 players after Tuesday's cuts, which also featured outfielder Daz Cameron, infielder/outfielder Nick Gordon, right-hander Corbin Martin, right-hander Levi Stoudt and right-hander Thaddeus Ward getting reassigned to Minors camp.