Can Orioles have both Rutschman and Basallo as catchers? | MAILBAG

Question: What do you think the future is for Adley Rutschman given Samuel Basallo waiting in Triple-A?  I don’t see the Orioles carrying two top -ine catchers.  From: Ted Kramer

Answer: On Sunday, that very question was posed to manager Bradon Hyde before he watched Basallo catch for the first time. “I’m sure they can,” Hyde said. “I haven’t seen Basallo catch at all. He’s 20 years old. Adley’s an established major league player and a really good catcher. He’s going to have a really good year this year.

“Basallo’s bat is really, really intriguing. The raw power, his batting practice is really impressive. You always find a way.”

It’s been done before. In the 1950s, the New York Yankees had Yogi Berra, one of the greatest catchers of all time, and then signed Elston Howard. At first, Berra did most of the catching and Howard played the outfield and first base. Gradually, Howard caught more and Berra played other positions.

Since Basallo also plays first base, and there’s the designated hitter, I don’t see any reason why they can’t coexist. 

Question: Since they use a “tacky” ball in Japan, do pitchers have fewer Tommy John issues? From: John Arnold 

Answer: John, there are fewer Tommy John surgeries among Japanese pitchers. The slightly smaller ball could help. Starting pitchers in Japan pitch once a week, and that may help, and there isn’t the emphasis on velocity as there is in the major leagues.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.