Samuel Basallo and Coby Mayo are primed to keep crushing baseballs in hopes of a major league call-up this season.
Last year, the Norfolk Tides were the buzz of minor league baseball for the first two weeks. Led by a Murderer’s Row of talented youngsters that included Jackson Holliday, Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo, Connor Norby, and Kyle Stowers, the Tides started the season 7-1 and scored 98 runs in their first eight games, including a 26-run explosion on April 3. It wasn’t outrageous to wonder if the Tides were better than some major league teams.
The early team success didn’t last, and ultimately Norfolk finished the season 12 games under .500. Four of those five sluggers have graduated to the majors, and the one who hasn’t joined them is frustrated about it. This year’s version of the Tides, at least early on, features quite a few veteran journeymen and organizational players who don’t figure to play a part in the Orioles’ future success.
Still, they’re not lacking in star power. The top two prospects in the Orioles’ system — and the #13 and 14 prospects in baseball, per MLB Pipeline — will form a dynamic duo in the middle of the Norfolk lineup. The progress of those two will capture most of the attention, but a few other intriguing prospects are kicking around, too.
Here’s a look at Norfolk’s Opening Day roster:
CATCHERS: Samuel Basallo (Camden Chat’s #1 prospect), Maverick Handley, Connor Pavolony
The Orioles’ #1 prospect will be taking his swings at Norfolk, but Basallo won’t actually be catching for a while. The O’s announced at the end of camp that Basallo will be limited to DH duty as he battles right elbow inflammation. This is the second straight year in which Basallo won’t be ready to catch at the start of the season; in 2024 he had a stress fracture that delayed his first catching appearance until April 30. It’s a bit of a setback for a prospect who already carries an MLB-ready bat but needs more development behind the plate.
INFIELDERS: TT Bowens, Nick Gordon, Vimael Machín, Coby Mayo (#2), Luis Vázquez, Terrin Vavra
The days of the Tides fielding nearly an entire infield of bonafide prospects are over, for now. But they do have one prominent one in Mayo, who laid waste to Triple-A pitching last year — 22 homers and a .287/.364/.562 slash line in 89 games — and is none too happy to be returning to Norfolk. I feel ya, Coby, but there’s no obvious spot on the Orioles’ roster at the moment. He’ll just need to continue mashing and hope that an opportunity opens up for the O’s…or in a trade.
It should be noted that Norfolk’s opening infield will also include another rather well-known infielder. Gunnar Henderson will begin his rehab assignment with the Tides today, a good sign that he may be ready to come off the injured list as soon as he’s eligible April 3.
OUTFIELDERS: Dylan Beavers (#6), Daz Cameron, Dylan Carlson, Jud Fabian (#12)
Beavers and Fabian, both drafted within the first two rounds in 2022, will be getting their first extended exposure to Triple-A after spending most of last season with Double-A Bowie. Beavers was solid enough at the dish with the Baysox, posting a .756 OPS and 15 home runs in 119 games, and adding a ton of value on the bases with 31 steals in 34 attempts. He made 15+ starts at all three outfield positions, plus 12 at first base. How well he hits at Norfolk this year could determine whether he has a future as a big league regular or more of a fourth- or fifth-outfield type.
Fabian, meanwhile, boasts some impressive skills — huge power and plus defense in center field — but his alarming tendency to swing and miss is a major red flag. He moved up to Norfolk for the last 30 games of last season and struck out in 51 of 125 plate appearances, a rate of 40.8%. This year he’ll need to prove he can put the ball in play more often if he’s going to have a major league future.
PITCHERS: LHP Raúl Alcantara, RHP Justin Armbruester, RHP Kyle Brnovich, LHP Luis González, RHP Corbin Martin, RHP Rodolfo Martinez, RHP Nick Richmond, RHP Colin Selby, RHP Kade Strowd, RHP Carlos Tavera, RHP Thaddeus Ward, RHP Nathan Webb, RHP Cameron Weston (#17), RHP Brandon Young (#12)
Norfolk’s season-opening pitching staff includes only two of the Orioles’ top 20 prospects, though Chayce McDermott (#5) would make it three if he weren’t on the IL with a right lat strain. Young is the most intriguing prospect here, and would probably be the first guy summoned from the minors if the O’s needed another starting pitcher. He posted a 3.44 ERA in 18 starts for the Tides last year. The Orioles added Young to their 40-man roster this winter, along with righty reliever Strowd and the well-traveled 33-year-old González, still awaiting his major league debut.
If history is any guide, the Orioles will probably dip into their pool of Norfolk hurlers throughout the season for temporary bullpen help. Guys with big league experience like Selby, Martin, and Ward could be candidates for brief call-ups, as could Roansy Contreras, whom the O’s outrighted to Norfolk on Opening Day. Hard-throwing Rodolfo Martinez earned some admirers in spring training until games began and he got knocked around.
Ultimately, most of the names on this list aren’t ones you’ll need to know for long. But you never know which random minor leaguer — prospect or not — might unexpectedly play a significant role for the 2025 Orioles.