REPORT: Orioles need to promote surging top prospect if they want to salvage their season

With the halfway point of the regular season approaching next week, there is no question that the Baltimore Orioles are one of the most disappointing teams in all of baseball this season.

Believed to have a core that would dominate the American League East for many seasons ahead, the Orioles have effectively been eliminated from the race already this season.

If the Orioles squint, they can potentially see a path toward landing one of the Wild Card spots, but they are in desperate need of a lever to be pulled to get their season back on track.

That lever almost certainly won’t be pulled through the MLB trade deadline. If anything, any move of consequence that the Orioles made at the deadline will likely be of the selling variety. If the Orioles are going to salvage their season, it will need to come from an internal move.

The prospect experts at MLB.com have that move as they make the case for the Orioles to promote top prospect, Samuel Basallo, to the Major League level.

This top Orioles prospect might be the last hope to save their season

A hamstring injury to Basallo hindered his start to the season in Triple-A, but since May, he’s reminded everyone why he’s the top prospect in the Orioles’ organization.

Since May 1, Basallo has been hitting over .270 with 12 home runs. As a whole, Basallo enters the weekend with a slash line of .266/.377/.597/153 wRC+ with 15 home runs in Triple-A this season.

Despite not turning 21 until August, it seems like a safe bet that Basallo will make his Major League debut before the end of the season.

However, the idea of him salvaging the season for the Orioles seems like a moot point. The more likely scenario is that Basallo is brought up to the Major League level after the Orioles go through their sell-off at the deadline.

It seems like Ryan O’Hearn will be one of the main trade chips that the Orioles look to sell ahead of the deadline.

If he is moved, that would open first base for Basallo. Of course, the Orioles likely will also sprinkle in some time at catcher for Basallo once he does reach the majors.