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Samuel Basallo, C, Orioles: The Orioles’ 21-year-old slugger is one of the best hitting prospects to reach the majors in years. He produced pristine batted ball data in Triple-A this season: his 94.0 mph average exit velocity trailed only Roman Anthony’s 95.0 and his 74.3 mph average bat speed ranked fourth among Triple-A qualifiers. Basallo led the league in both barrels per batted-ball event (20.9%) and barrels per plate appearance (12.8%). His 90th percentile exit velocity (108.3 mph), EV50 (104.9 mph) and max exit velocity (115.9 mph) are all elite figures for Triple-A.

That power showed up on Monday night when Basallo nearly clubbed his first big league homer, settling for a double off the Green Monster in a win over the Red Sox.

But Basallo notably also started at catcher Monday for the first time in his very young big league career. And that’s the big question he and the Orioles must dive into over the next six weeks: is Basallo’s defense good enough to remain a primary catcher in the majors?

Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper took a deep dive into Basallo’s defensive work this year in Triple-A, and the results are encouraging. He’s certainly not perfect — Cooper identified some clear areas of improvement, especially with Basallo’s hands — but the building blocks are there for him to stick behind the plate, especially since it seems Basallo wants to remain a catcher in the long run.

BA subscribers can read the full piece here, which dives into his receiving, blocking, throwing and also how Basallo is joining a particularly impressive list of young catchers to already arrive in the big leagues.

Warming Bernabel, 1B, Rockies: Bernabel's hot start to his MLB career isn't slowing down. In a clutch moment against the Dodgers at home, the 23-year-old homegrown prospect delivered the biggest swing of his young career, lacing a walk-off single up the middle off lefthander Justin Wrobleski. The hit brought Ezequiel Tovar home and ignited a celebration at Coors Field following the 4-3 win. Bernabel's first career walk-off hit is a fitting milestone for a player quickly making his presence felt in the big leagues. Colorado's No. 9 prospect is slashing .301/.326/.542 with four homers over his first 22 MLB games.

Elian Peña, SS, Mets: If you had to guess which Mets player has already produced two three-homer games this year, Juan Soto or Francisco Lindor might be the obvious picks. But the feat belongs not to a major leaguer, but to 17-year-old prospect Elian Peña. The Mets’ prized $5 million international signing went 4-for-5 with six RBIs in his latest Dominican Summer League outburst, raising his season line to .299/.423/.540. Still years from Queens, Peña is already flashing the impact potential that made him one of the most coveted players in his signing class.

C.J. Kayfus, 1B, Guardians: Kayfus has gone from breakout prospect to big leaguer in short order, and he’s showing flashes of why he landed in Baseball America’s Top 100 earlier this season. On Monday in Phoenix, the 22-year-old outfielder crushed a 406-foot homer off Zac Gallen at 105.1 mph, his second career blast. He went 2-for-3 on the night to lift his average to .239. The raw talent is clear, but with 15 strikeouts against just three walks, his plate discipline remains a work in progress against the game's best pitchers.

Liberts Aponte, SS, Reds: The 17-year-old turned in the best performance of his very young professional career on Monday, hitting for the cycle in the first game of a Dominican Summer League doubleheader against the Guardians' Goryl DSL squad. Aponte, who most frequently mans shortstop but was the DH for this game, went 4-for-4, drove in five runs and also walked. He's now slashing .247/.363/.461 with seven homers and nearly as many walks (27) as strikeouts (35) in 44 DSL games. Aponte, the clubs' No. 27 prospect, inked the biggest bonus ($1.9 million) of Cincinnati's 2025 international class, and amateur scouts were quite impressed with his twitchy, defensive-oriented approach at shortstop. You can read more in the Reds' International Review here.

Editor’s Picks

10 Statcast Standouts: Presenting 10 Statcast standouts from MiLB over the last week, led by an Orioles pitcher with the raw stuff and on-field performance to be a potential gem. Read more…

Hot Sheet: This week’s Hot Sheet is topped by Guardians 1B Ralphy Velazquez, who has bounced back from a slow 2025 start and is now tearing up Double-A. Read more…

Baseball America Helium Pick Of The Day

Each day, we’ll pick a prospect that has our attention.

Jackson Cox, RHP, Rockies: Colorado’s minor league pitching corps has seen more than its fair share of Tommy John surgeries in recent years. On one July day in 2023, the team announced that three of its best prospects—Gabriel Hughes, Jordy Vargas and Jackson Cox—all needed ligament reconstruction surgeries on their pitching elbows. All three righthanders have now returned, with mixed results. On Aug. 17, in Low-A Fresno’s series finale against Stockton, Cox, was tremendous. The 2022 second-rounder disassembled the Ports over five shutout innings, striking out seven while throwing just 59 pitches. He brought his fastball up to 98 mph and backed it with a nasty curveball he could land for strikes or bury for chases. He, at times, also mixed in a high-80s changeup that slid away from lefties at the last moment. If he can carry that kind of momentum into next year, the months he was away from the mound might be well worth the wait.

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• The Orioles’ other recent callup, OF Dylan Beavers, went 2-for-2 with two walks in their win over the Red Sox

• The Dodgers activated Josue De Paula from the High-A injured list on Saturday

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