Those are the initial impressions of Samuel Basallo, a mountainous catching prospect with a violent swing that belies his youth.

The Norfolk Tides have ushered several elite prospects to the major leagues in recent years. Basallo, the second-ranked prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization according to MLB.com, appears to be the next big thing in more ways than one.

At 6-feet-4 and 180 pounds, Basallo strikes an imposing figure. During his first batting practice at Harbor Park this week after joining the Tides on the road from Double-A Bowie, the lefty-swinging Basallo hit several balls that endangered the Tides’ $1.7 million video board in right-center field.

One ball landed with a thud about halfway up, prompting oohs and ahs from Basallo’s teammates.

“He’s a monster,” manager Buck Britton said. “The power is off the charts. When he gets ahold of it, my God. When he gets it, it’s incredible.”

Samuel Basallo blasts his first career Triple-A homer!
#DefendTheHarbor pic.twitter.com/GWNhUIU3Mk

— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) August 30, 2024

It only seems like Basallo, whose name is pronounced SOM-well bah-SIGH-yo, reached Triple-A in a hurry. Signed at 16 out of the Dominican Republic for what was then a club-record $1.2 million, he’s in his fourth season and sixth level of pro ball.

Before joining Norfolk, Basallo hit .289 with 16 home runs and 55 RBIs in 106 games this season at Double-A Bowie, putting up an .820 OPS.

His journey to the doorstep of the major leagues has not seemed like a whirlwind.

“It feels like normal time for me,” Basallo said through a translator. “It doesn’t feel like it’s been long. It feels right.”

Basallo’s impending arrival in Baltimore, which is highly unlikely to happen this season, brings up a potentially inevitable conundrum: The Orioles already have an All-Star catcher in Adley Rutschman, the former Tides star who was once the top prospect in all of baseball.

Britton, though, sees it as a good problem to have. Basallo, he said, plays a strong first base. Britton envisions Rutschman and Basallo someday splitting time behind the plate, with Basallo peeling off to play first or DH as needed.

Many major league catchers in recent years, including All-Star Carlos Santana and Hall of Famer Joe Mauer, have ended up at first base as catching has worn them down.

“I think there’s ways you could get them both in the lineup and a way to protect each other, not having to just carry the full load behind the plate,” Britton said. “You see what happens to these guys that catch. It’s changed. That spot gets you beat up.”

Few know that better than Maverick Handley, one of three catchers on Norfolk’s roster. Handley, a 26-year-old former Stanford star, is in his second season with the Tides.

He was drafted the same year, 2019, as Rutschman and Orioles All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Handley has played alongside younger players like Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday, both now in the big leagues.

Handley is used to youth.

“You know, I feel like I’ve been playing with so many 20-year-olds up here that I can’t really tell what a 20-year-old is anymore,” Handley said. “(Basallo) is definitely more mature than his age says.

“He swings like a grown man.”

Talking with Basallo isn’t as intimidating as facing him from a mound. He’s soft-spoken, perhaps even a bit shy.

He was initially spotted by one of the Dominican’s many buscones, essentially freelance scouts who bring young players to the attention of major league organizations for a fee.

Basallo tried out for several teams before the Orioles offered.

“It was huge,” Basallo said when asked about his bonus. “It helped my family. It’s also easier to keep working and be where I need to be.

“The organization is moving me up the way they feel that I’m going to be good. I feel good about it.”

Handley has admired the way Basallo has handled himself behind the plate. Because he’s so big, Basallo often has to catch on one knee, but his length helps him move laterally.

The size was apparent right away.

“You shake his hand and you’re like, ‘This guy’s got some bear paws,’ ” Handley said. “He’s about as uber-talented as you’re going to get in terms of build.

“I think the O’s are confident that he’s going to be able to handle what’s asked of him up here.”

Joining Holliday, Basallo is the second 20-year-old the Tides have had on their roster this season. Basallo became one of the International League’s youngest active players.

As such, there are adjustments to be made. Britton described Basallo as “super-aggressive” at the plate, something he’ll have to tone down against experienced Triple-A pitchers moving forward.

“At this level, pitchers start to be able to command the baseball a little bit,” Britton said. “You can get yourself into some trouble. But he’s done a nice job. His at-bats are super-competitive.

“It’s a fast swing, it’s a big swing and it’s a big man. But he’s been good. They did a nice job in Double-A and A-ball getting him ready for this.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

But Tides fans can get a head-shaking replica of Holliday this week at Harbor Park. Norfolk will give out Jackson Holliday bobbleheads Friday as they host the Charlotte Knights for a 6:35 p.m. game.

A look at the Tides as they return home Tuesday and begin a six-game series against the Knights, the top affiliate of the Chicago White Sox:

Norfolk’s record: 60-72

New in town: Tides fans missed the Triple-A debut of prospect Samuel Basallo, a highly touted catcher who joined Norfolk on last week’s road trip, but they can see him now. Also, right-handed reliever Jacob Webb joined the Tides on Sunday for a rehab assignment. Webb is working his way back to the majors after registering two saves and 12 holds with a 3.08 ERA in the Orioles’ bullpen. He was dealing with right elbow inflammation.

In the Charlotte dugout: RHP Mason Adams was activated last week from the 7-day injured list and joined the Knights. Adams, 24, made his Triple-A debut with Charlotte last month after going 7-5 with a 2.44 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 18 games (17 starts) for Double-A Birmingham.

Schedule

Tuesday: 6:35 p.m., school supply drive.

Wednesday: 6:35 p.m., In Our Tides Era Night.

Thursday: 12:05 p.m.

Friday: 6:35 p.m., Jackson Holliday bobblehead giveaway.

Saturday: 6:35 p.m., postgame fireworks.

Sunday: 1:05 p.m., football day.

For the second straight season, the Orioles have promoted a player in his age-19 season to Triple-A. In early September, after Samuel Basallo accrues about a week’s worth of Triple-A plate appearances, he’ll join an illustrious club — one that Jackson Holliday became a member of a year ago.

Basallo will soon become only the sixth top prospect since 2006 to reach Triple-A by his age-19 season and total at least 25 plate appearances there, according to FanGraphs. Before they became big leaguers and household names, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ozzie Albies achieved what Basallo is about to and what Holliday did last year.

Basallo, the Orioles’ No. 3 prospect, was officially promoted to Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday, continuing the catcher’s impressive rise through Baltimore’s farm system. About 16 months ago, the Dominican Republic native was beginning his first year of full-season ball with Low-A Delmarva. This week, he’ll begin his pursuit of a big-league call-up, which could realistically come next season. Each player on this list either debuted in the majors the year they reached Triple-A or the following one.

Since 2006, the year in which FanGraphs’ data begins, 19-year-old Harper was the first player to achieve the feat when in 2012 he played 21 games in Triple-A before joining the Washington Nationals. Harper and Holliday are the only players on this list to be drafted, each with the No. 1 selection — the former in 2010, the latter in 2022.

Basallo’s timeline is similar to those of his international counterparts. Acuña, Guerrero and Albies were also signed as international free agents and zoomed through the minors.

In 2017, Acuña hit .325 with an .896 OPS in his age-19 season to reach Triple-A, and the outfielder made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves the following year. Guerrero crushed Double- and Triple-A pitching to the tune of a 1.073 OPS in 2018 to earn his promotion to Triple-A. The Toronto Blue Jays called him up the next season. In Albies’ age-19 season, the shortstop hit .292 with a .778 OPS between the minors’ top two levels before debuting for the Braves the following year.

Three other low-level prospects — Yeyson Yrizarri, Robert Perez Jr. and Luis Vázquez — also achieved the feat, but they were not inside their teams’ top 10 prospect lists at the time and all returned to the lower minors in subsequent seasons.

The Orioles signed 16-year-old Basallo for a then-franchise-record $1.3 million international signing bonus in January 2021 — the headliner of the first major investment by the Mike Elias regime after decades of the organization largely passing over the Latin American market. In 2023, Basallo jumped from Low-A to Double-A in his first year of full-season ball. His 1.131 OPS in High-A was by far the best of any player in his age-18 season at the level since at least 2006 — ahead of Mike Trout (.821 in 2014) and Guerrero (.944 in 2017).

This year, Basallo overcame multiple injuries to hit .289 with an .820 OPS in 106 games, tallying 22 doubles, 16 homers and 55 RBIs. He split time between catcher and first base, and while the organization says it believes in his defense, his elite production at the plate could move him out from behind it. Basallo turned 20 earlier this month, but age seasons in baseball are determined by how old the player is on July 1. Thus 2024 is his age-19 campaign.

Baseball America ranks Basallo as the sport’s No. 17 prospect, and MLB Pipeline has him at No. 11. But FanGraphs’ top 100 list is even more bullish on Basallo, ranking the backstop at No. 3 — behind only Holliday and Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero. Holliday and Caminero are both expected to graduate from such status in the coming weeks, potentially giving the Orioles another No. 1 prospect by at least one major list’s estimation.

Elias perhaps had the opportunity to trade Basallo at the deadline, but he instead held on to his prized power hitter. In July, Elias said he views Basallo as a future “middle-of-the-order bat” — one that could slot in as a first baseman/designated hitter or as a catcher, forming a duo with Adley Rutschman.

“This kid is a pretty special talent,” Elias said.

But Basallo isn’t the only talented player in Baltimore’s farm system. That’s why each week, The Baltimore Sun breaks down five of the top performers in the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hands out some superlatives for those who didn’t make that cut.

1. Aberdeen C/1B Creed Willems: The No. 3 catcher in the Orioles’ system, Willems returned from a hamstring injury earlier this month and picked up where he left off at High-A. Over his past 13 games, the 2021 eighth-round draft pick slashed .275/.420/.475 — good for an .895 OPS. Willems, who Baseball America ranks No. 27 in Baltimore’s organization list, has 13 homers and a .788 OPS this year for the IronBirds.

2. Bowie RHP Cameron Weston: Weston’s 2.70 ERA across 90 frames between Aberdeen and Bowie ranks first among Orioles minor league pitchers with at least 65 innings pitched. Last week, the 2022 eighth-round draft pick delivered one of his best starts of the season, tossing five scoreless innings and striking out six while throwing a career-high 75 pitches. Weston didn’t open the season in Baltimore’s top 30, but his impressive campaign has since earned him a spot at No. 26.

3. Delmarva OF Austin Overn: Overn is one of four 2024 draftees to appear inside Baltimore’s top 30, coming in at No. 28 after the Orioles drafted him in the third round. The speedster has opened his professional career as expected, slashing .314/.435/.457 — good for an .892 OPS — in his first 10 games. Last week, the Southern California standout stole three bases in his first game and smacked four hits in his last.

4. Bowie OF Enrique Bradfield Jr.: Overn’s combination of speed and defensive ability make him an intriguing prospect, but the Orioles have one who scouts rate even better in both those tools. Earlier this month, Bradfield, the club’s 2023 first-round pick, was promoted to Double-A after putting up solid, but not spectacular, numbers in High-A. In 11 games with the Baysox, the speedster has proven that was the right move, hitting .318 with an .878 OPS, walking more times (eight) than he’s struck out (seven) and swiping six bases.

5. Norfolk RHP Brandon Young: Young was seen as a potential option to start for the Orioles on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” if the club wanted to continue giving its starting pitchers extra rest. Baltimore instead went with Dean Kremer on regular rest, keeping Young with Norfolk to start Saturday and tie his career-high with 10 strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. The 2020 undrafted free agent is becoming a frequent fixture in this space, headlining it two weeks ago after Elias said Young was on the general manager’s “radar screen” for a big league call-up. The 26-year-old sports a 3.57 ERA and an impressive 31.3% strikeout rate between Bowie and Norfolk this year, a bounce-back one after missing most of the previous two because of injury.

Top prospect not featured so far: Coby Mayo, the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect and the 12th-best in baseball, returned to the field last week after Baltimore demoted him to Triple-A. The 22-year-old picked up where he left off, going 6 for 21 with a homer and a triple. Mayo played four games at third base and two at first as he continues to work on his defense.

International acquisition of the week: In his age-19 season, Leandro Arias began the year in rookie ball and is now putting up solid numbers in High-A. The Orioles signed Arias, a middle infielder ranked No. 23 on Baltimore’s farm, for $600,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2022. In two weeks with the IronBirds, Arias is hitting .297 with a .747 OPS.

Time to give a shoutout to: Ryan Stafford was the second of four catchers Baltimore drafted in July, selecting the Cal Poly standout in the fifth round. In his first two weeks of professional ball, the 21-year-old is slashing .387/.512/.419 — good for a .931 OPS — with eight walks for Delmarva. He recorded his first three-hit game and smacked his first extra-base hit Sunday.

Short-season snippets: The season for Baltimore’s rookie ball clubs ended Saturday when the Dominican Summer League Orioles Orange team lost in the third and deciding game of the quarterfinals. That DSL club ended the regular season 38-18 and was led by Jordan Sanchez (.333 average, 1.037 OPS) and Stiven Martínez (.278 average, .883 OPS). The Orioles signed Sanchez, 18, out of Cuba in December, while Martínez, the organization’s No. 20 prospect in his age-16 season, signed for $950,000 out of the Dominican Republic.

Farm files

• Nick Avila, a 27-year-old right-hander the Orioles claimed off waivers in June, was released by the club Monday after designating him for assignment last week. Avila, who made his MLB debut with the San Francisco Giants earlier this season, struggled in three outings with Norfolk, allowing nine hits and 10 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

• The first 2024 draftee to reach High-A is the last one the Orioles selected. Right-hander Evan Yates, the club’s 20th-round pick, made his professional debut Saturday, striking out five in two innings for the IronBirds. The Cal State Fullerton standout pitched this summer for the Frederick Keys in MLB’s Draft League.

The slugging Norfolk Tides corner infielder went 1 for 17 (.059) in seven games with the Baltimore Orioles this month before being optioned back to Triple-A.

But Mayo, the second-ranked prospect in the system and the 10th-ranked prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com, understands that failure is often part of the process. He’s seen it up close.

Mayo, 22, is the latest Orioles prospect to reach the major leagues and struggle out of the gate. Current Baltimore stars like Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser and, most recently, Jackson Holliday all had rocky beginnings to their big league careers.

Often, it’s making it back and sticking that’s the hardest part.

“You get a taste of it,” Mayo said. “Everyone wants to go up and go up and go up, and when you get there, sometimes it’s a big smack in the face. But I think you get to learn from it, come down here, fix those mistakes and go up and feel more comfortable.”

Mayo, a 2020 fourth-round draft pick out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Florida, entered Saturday’s game against Worcester hitting .299 with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs through 81 games with Norfolk. His .960 OPS ranks second in the International League.

So why didn’t Mayo’s Triple-A success transfer to the major leagues after his long-speculated promotion? The short answer: Playing in the big leagues is no joke.

“Honestly, it’s hard to explain because I think at times, people think the game is easy,” Tides manager Buck Britton said. “The gap between Triple-A and the big leagues is huge right now. Just the quality of arms that you see nightly up there, there’s no real days off. You look down here, those guys are throwing 88 miles an hour down here. Everybody’s throwing 96 up there, or 100. They have better command. They command the baseball with that stuff, so it’s a big gap.”

Few understand it better than Norfolk outfielder Daniel Johnson, who entered the weekend with 777 minor league games with 13 teams and 35 big league games under his belt.

Johnson, 29, played parts of two seasons in Cleveland after being drafted and traded by the Washington Nationals.

Johnson had a quick answer when asked the age-old question about which accomplishment is harder.

“Definitely staying in the big leagues,” he said. “Things happen. Some things are out of your control. But it’s definitely harder to stick in the big leagues. You can do everything right and (have it) still not go your way. So it’s one of those things.”

Primarily a third baseman who dabbles at first base, Mayo was sent back to work on his defense and use more of the field with his bat. He’s focusing on simplifying his load at the plate and, he said, “just trying to polish up some things.”

Not insignificant is the fact that Mayo was thrust into a pennant race; the Orioles entered Saturday 1 1/2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East.

The stakes are incomparable.

“I definitely think that there are nerves, no matter who you are,” Mayo said. “It’s a big stage. It’s different than Triple-A.

“All the little things matter. Everything’s being microscoped times a million over there. But that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You’re trying to chase a World Series, and that’s how it’s going to be.”

With the Orioles, reaching the fruition of a massive rebuild, in contention, prospects like Mayo stand less of a chance.

“We know that it’s hard, and when you’re in a playoff race, too, there’s not a very long leash,” Britton said. “If this was four or five years ago, you probably get to go up there and grind out some stuff and continue your development up there. But right now, it’s about winning games. And if you’re not one of the best 26, it’s kind of harsh, but they don’t really have time for it to come around. They need to win games because that’s what we’re trying to do, is win now.”

Veterans like Johnson, who has been through it, can dole out advice to young guys like Mayo.

Playing at the Triple-A level is inherently frustrating. Everyone is one call away, but sometimes the call never comes.

Johnson’s words of wisdom were simple.

“Just keep being the same person you were before,” he said he told Mayo. “Don’t change anything. Keep playing your same game, and the opportunity will come again. That’s something you can’t control. What you can control is how you play, how your attitude is. So control that while you can.”

Mayo said Holliday, who got off to a 2-for-34 start to his major league career before being optioned and returning with a vengeance, reminded him that he’s a .300 hitter in Triple-A.

Holliday, the organization’s top prospect, entered Saturday with five homers in 22 games since rejoining the Orioles on July 31. He added a pinch-hit, three-run double in the Orioles’ 3-2 comeback victory over the Houston Astros.

Mayo hopes to follow suit.

“You kind of know that when you go up there, you might have some failure,” Mayo said. “And I think the guys that go up and handle the failure the best will come back down here and work really hard and not be satisfied.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

The Tides (56-67, 20-28 in the International League’s second half) have lost eight of nine games. Worcester (61-61, 26-21) reached .500 for the first time since early in the year.

Baltimore returned Chesapeake native Colin Selby to the Tides after his impressive first stint with the Orioles. The former Western Branch High and Randolph-Macon College star pitched three scoreless innings over two appearances against the Mets in New York.

Perhaps the most noteworthy move nationally was the Orioles’ decision to demote Trevor Rogers, whom they acquired at the late July non-waiver trade deadline, to the Tides. The 26-year-old left-hander has posted a 7.11 ERA since Baltimore acquired him from Miami on July 30 in a deal that sent recent Tides mainstays Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby to the Marlins.

The Orioles promoted left-hander Nick Vespi (whose 3.18 ERA in 10 games with Baltimore is far better than his 7.71 Norfolk ERA) and right-hander Matt Bowman from the Tides and designated lefty Bruce Zimmermann for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Bowman. Zimmermann’s future with the Orioles is unclear.

Also, the Orioles activated former Miami infielder Emmanuel Rivera, whom they claimed on waivers Wednesday, and optioned infielder Livan Soto to the Tides. Soto had been on the Baltimore roster since Aug. 15, but didn’t appear in a game.

In Thursday’s sixth inning, reliever Levi Stoudt, who was making his Norfolk debut after being promoted from Double-A Bowie, yielded a home run to the first batter he faced, Eddy Alvarez. That broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Red Sox the lead for good.

Jud Fabian, in his third Norfolk game since being promoted from Bowie, clubbed a first-inning home run for his initial Triple-A hit, giving the Tides a 1-0 lead. Worcester pulled even on Bobby Dalbec’s homer in the fourth, but the Tides went ahead 3-1 later that inning against Worcester starter Quinn Priester. Nick Maton walked and scored on a double by Shayne Fontana, who came home on Maverick Handley’s single.

The Red Sox made it 3-3 in the fifth off Tides starter Tucker Davidson as Chase Meidroth tripled home Roman Anthony and scored on Nick Sogard’s sacrifice fly.

After Alvarez’s homer, Dalton Guthrie looped an RBI single in the sixth, and the Red Sox bullpen held the Tides scoreless. Brian Van Belle (6-2), who pitched 3 1/3 shutout innings, gained the win. Yohan Ramirez got the save despite seeing his apparent game-ending strikeout of Coby Mayo turned into walk via a video challenge.

Late Wednesday

Worcester 12, Norfolk 3: A seven-run second inning by the Red Sox all but decided the game before 4,777.

Norfolk’s few highlights included home runs by Daniel Johnson and Coby Mayo in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

Tides starter Justin Armbruester (3-9) gave up six earned runs, three walks and two hits in 1 1/3 innings, ballooning his ERA to 8.40.

Enmanuel Valdez drove in four runs for the Red Sox, three on a seventh-inning homer. Eddy Alvarez, who also homered in the seventh, scored two runs, as did Valdez, Nick Sogard and Reese McGuire.

Kristian Campbell had two hits and three RBIs, and Bobby Dalbec had two hits and two RBIs.

Rogers was optioned along with right-hander Colin Selby — a former Western Branch High star — and infielder Livan Soto. The Orioles also selected the contract of right-hander Matt Bowman and recalled left-hander Nick Vespi from Norfolk and activated infielder Emmanuel Rivera, who was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

Baltimore was a half-game behind the first-place New York Yankees entering Thursday. The Orioles’ pitching staff has been hit hard by injuries to the rotation, and the bullpen has been unreliable of late. Baltimore lost two of three to the Mets in New York, with both defeats coming on ninth-inning home runs.

The Orioles sent Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby — two prospects with big-league experience — to Miami in exchange for Rogers. The lefty is 0-2 with a 7.11 ERA since joining Baltimore.

The Orioles also designated left-hander Bruce Zimmermann for assignment.

Norfolk’s record: 56-64

New in town: Left-handed pitcher Cade Povich and third baseman Coby Mayo returned to the Tides in recent days after short stints with the Baltimore Orioles. Povich started one game in his latest major-league stint, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings in a loss to Boston; Mayo, after batting .308 with 23 home runs with Norfolk, was hitless in 16 of 17 at-bats during his stretch with Baltimore.

In the Worcester dugout: Right-handed pitcher Liam Hendriks, a three-time MLB All-Star, is with Worcester on a rehab assignment. He pitched a scoreless inning of relief Sunday in his first appearance at any level in more than a year. Hendriks, 35, underwent Tommy John surgery last August after returning to the major leagues following a battle with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Schedule

Tuesday: 6:35 p.m., Turn Back the Clock Night; hot dogs, popcorn and sodas are 50 cents.

Wednesday: 6:35 p.m., Tides baseball card giveaway and Wine Down Wednesday — $5 wine specials.

Thursday: 12:05 p.m.

Friday: 6:35 p.m., Tides baseball cap giveaway; Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond game — Tides will take the field wearing a Marvel-inspired logo.

Saturday: 6:35 p.m., Filipino American Heritage Night and postgame fireworks.

Sunday: 1:05 p.m., Bark in the Park and Bluey appearance.

And then he waited some more.

For several minutes, Hosley watched as his Savannah Bananas teammates executed a choreographed dance number near the first-base line. And then he strode to the plate and stroked an opposite-field single to right field.

The sequence was illustrative of “Banana Ball,” in which the Harlem Globetrotters meet the Larrupin’ Lous.

The Bananas, a barnstorming team of former college and pro players who play by their own unique rules, sold out Harbor Park on Friday night. They also sold it out for Saturday and Sunday, bringing their streak of packing ballparks around the country past 360 games.

Hosley, a former two-way star for Norfolk State and George Mason, started at third base and pitched the ninth inning of a 3-2 victory over the Party Animals to earn what in traditional baseball would be a save.

In between, he danced with his teammates and participated in all the shenanigans required of the strange job he’s had for two years.

Uninhibited performing is not in Hosley’s nature, but he’s grown used to it.

“I’ve had (former) teammates tell me, ‘You’d be the last guy I’d expect to be with the Savannah Bananas,’ ” Hosley, a 24-year-old Vienna native, said. “I was never really that guy who was singing and dancing at practices and games or anything like that. I think that’s why they probably assumed I wouldn’t be doing this in my career. But when they come calling, you answer, and I was super-excited to be here.”

Another former NSU player on the Bananas’ roster is Brandon “Showtime” Crosby, a graduate of Atlee High in Mechanicsville. Crosby, a utility player for Savannah who was an everyday player for the Spartans in 2019 and 2020, caught a ball in foul territory down the first-base line while falling down Friday.

Banana Ball is, by its nature, a juxtaposition. On one hand, players catch routine balls behind their backs, perform complex gymnastics stunts, walk around on stilts and, yes, do plenty of dancing.

But the wildly popular show is executed by people who know what they’re doing.

Early in Friday night’s game, with a runner on second and nobody out, a batter hit a routine ground ball to third base. The runner, as he should have, froze. As the third baseman looked him back to second and threw across the diamond, the shortstop dashed behind the third baseman to cover third.

It was sound, fundamental baseball, even as a strange cover of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” blared at maximum volume over the PA system.

And then everybody danced.

Austin Krzeminski, a 27-year-old right-hander from Atlanta, spent three seasons in the Los Angeles Angels organization and one with the Chicago Cubs.

After a career plagued by injuries that included one appearance at the Triple-A level, Krzeminski said he had no trouble coming to terms with a version of the sport that some might consider less than respectful.

“I feel like this has been like a gateway for me to continue my career,” Krzeminski said. “I gave this a shot. I didn’t know how I would like it, and I absolutely fell in love with it. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball.”

Another way playing for the Bananas differs from life in affiliated ball is the schedule. Instead of playing six days a week, the team travels to a different city each weekend and plays three games on consecutive days: Friday through Sunday.

On Fridays and Saturdays, players arrive at the ballpark at 10 or 10:30 a.m. and work out. After lunch, they have afternoon meetings, followed by a daily rehearsal.

It is, after all, a show.

They take batting practice, which looks exactly like affiliated BP, and march around the stadium with VIP ticket holders. By 6 p.m., they’re on the field warming up again.

They play a game governed by a two-hour time limit, interacting with fans throughout. During Friday night’s game, players could be found posing for selfies on the concourse.

Players stay after each performance and sign autographs until about 11 p.m.

Each Sunday, being Getaway Day, brings an afternoon game, requiring a quick turnaround after Saturday’s show.

And they do it all in front of rabid crowds. Though no official attendance figures were available, the ballpark appeared to be as full Friday as it had been in years. The meandering crowd on the concourse at any given moment could’ve been stirred with a stick.

The Bananas had a handful of merchandise tents set up around the stadium, where long lines waited all night long to buy $85 jerseys and $30 T-shirts.

More fans on the concourse than not were wearing some kind of ubiquitously yellow Savannah gear while carrying concessions sold by the resident Norfolk Tides, the team’s payback for renting out the ballpark.

Before Friday night’s game, Hosley used a football to play catch with fans on the first-base side. He then botched a pregame water balloon toss-relay that went from the wall in center to the infield.

It’s all part of the show, which is how the massive gathering is described repeatedly by an on-field emcee.

“At its core, it is baseball,” said Bananas director of baseball operations and pitching coach Adam Virant, a former player for George Mason who helped get Hosley on the team. “If you come watch one of our games, you will leave saying, ‘Wow, that was highly entertaining, but that was a really, really good brand of baseball.’ ”

Hosley, the 2021 MEAC Player of the Year, went undrafted after transferring to GMU. His coach there had played with Virant and recommended Hosley as a player who could do a little bit of everything.

Hosley lives in Savannah for about nine months a year and spends the rest of the time back home with his parents. He said the Bananas’ players “make a decent living” while getting to see the country.

The team recently sold out Boston’s Fenway Park and Cleveland’s Progressive Field.

Virant, a 49-year-old former attorney, called going to work at Fenway “magical.” Krzeminski had worked his whole life to pitch in a venue like that. It just didn’t happen the way he planned.

“It doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you get there,” Krzeminski said.

Hosley, who throws a sweeping Uncle Charlie curveball, hasn’t totally given up on returning to traditional baseball. If that doesn’t happen, though, he’ll be fine.

“I’ll never say no,” Hosley said. “But to be honest, I’m pretty happy where I am right now in this. I like the direction the Bananas are headed right now for the future. So if an affiliate ball team comes calling, I’d always pick up the phone. But for now, I’m enjoying this.

“As a single guy who’s just playing baseball and traveling on the road, it’s a pretty good gig for me. I can’t complain.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

The Savannah Bananas make their first appearance in Norfolk, with games at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday’s game will be nationally televised on truTV.

Who are the Bananas? We checked out the team’s website and social media for a primer:

What is “Banana Ball?”

Savannah plays “the fastest and most entertaining game of baseball” and follows 11 rules. Rule No. 1: score the most runs in an inning for a point and the most points wins the game. Worth noting: In the final inning, every run counts as a point. Games are nine innings, but there is a two-hour time limit. Other rules: No stepping out of the batter’s box; no bunting “because bunting sucks”; batters can steal first on a wild pitch or passed ball; if a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out.

What else will fans see?

The games include choreographed dances to (among many others) Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Mariah Carey. The Bananas’ website touts their “epic scoring celebrations, from running through the crowd to performing fully choreographed country line dances.” The team’s TikTok account has more than 8 million followers and features some of their dance numbers and other shenanigans.

Who’s on the roster?

The Bananas are mostly former college players, and former Norfolk State player Danny Hosley is on the team. Hosley — listed as a utility player — was one of the country’s best two-way players for the Spartans and was the MEAC Player of the Year as a senior in 2021. Also on the roster: the “World’s Tallest Hitter and Pitcher” with Dakota “Stilts” Albritton at 10 feet tall.

Who else will appear?

The Bananas’ “cast and characters” include owner Jesse Cole, who sports a yellow tuxedo; the Banana Nanas, a senior citizen dance team; the Man-Nana’s, a “Dad bod” cheerleading squad; and the Banana Splitz, a youth dance team. Savannah claims the “world’s only dancing umpire” (Vincent Chapman) and a breakdancing coach (Maceo Harrison). And every game features a Banana Baby, who is honored with “Lion King” music and players kneeling around the baby as he or she is lifted into the air in a banana costume.

Who are the Bananas “playing?”

Savannah has two regular opponents: the Firefighters and the Party Animals. The Party Animals will be in Norfolk for all three games.

Are any tickets available?

All three games at Harbor Park have been sold out for months, and the Bananas’ website says the team has sold out “every single game — over 200 and counting.” As of Friday morning, Stubhub had a few listings — $137 for two tickets in the 200 section for Friday’s game was the cheapest.

Mayo, 22, is the No. 12 overall prospect in the sport, according to Baseball America. The 2020 fourth-round pick out of Parkland, Florida, showcased tremendous power in Triple-A with 20 home runs in 77 games this season to earn his first call-up to the majors on Aug. 2, but he struggled with Baltimore, hitting .059 with 10 strikeouts in 20 plate appearances. Mayo also recorded an error at third base and had an up-and-down experience in the field overall.

“This coaching staff and this organization as a whole has done a great job throughout the minor leagues preparing us for this moment,” Mayo said Thursday of being the latest Orioles prospect to get off to a slow start. “Struggling comes with every level. If you don’t struggle at first, you’re going to struggle at some point, and hopefully this is the right step forward and it gets me going.”

As Orioles teammates such as Jackson Holliday (2-for-34 start to his career) and Colton Cowser (7 for 61) have shown, a tough first MLB experience doesn’t necessarily reflect on their long-term potential. Mayo had an encouraging performance Thursday, roping a line-drive single to left field to end an 0-for-16 start to his Orioles tenure. He also drew a walk, came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Adley Rutschman and recorded a pair of impressive plays at third base — though in one of them, he pulled first baseman Ryan Mountcastle into the baseline with his throw.

“They’re going to keep throwing those pitches until you prove you can hit them,” Mayo said of what he’s seen from MLB pitching so far. “That slider down and away, or the change-ups down and away, they’re going to keep throwing them. Something a bit away from me. I got the one moving into me tonight, and I was able to capitalize on it for a hit. But they’re going to keep doing it until you prove that you can do it otherwise. It’s the best level in the world. There’s no level higher than this and there’s a reason why they’re here.”

Soto, 24, returns to Baltimore for his second stint since being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline last month. The Orioles have claimed him off waivers and released Soto twice this season, but he has yet to appear in a game for their major league ballclub.