Kyle Goon: Samuel Basallo will be an All-Star in 2027. I guarantee it.

Just when Orioles fans needed a good jolt to stir them from their ambivalence, Samuel Basallo’s home runs against the Royals this weekend struck Camden Yards like a thunderclap.

There is no Baltimore slugger — not even Pete Alonso — who makes home run hitting look easier than the 21-year-old catcher. From his stocky 6-foot-4 frame and trunk-like arms to his quick hands that can help him square up even out-of-zone pitches, Basallo is built for crushing baseballs.

According to Basallo, his plans during the Midsummer Classic are to take a relaxing week with his wife before the Orioles pick up again Friday. I hope Basallo enjoys it, because I believe this is the last year he’ll be watching the All-Star Game from home for a while.

I’m calling my shot: As long as he’s healthy, Basallo will be an All-Star for the Orioles in 2027.

I’m probably not alone in that belief — but, most important, Basallo believes it, too. He actually had hope of being in the game this year.

“That’s always the goal,” Basallo told me Sunday through translator Brandon Quinones. “I think that’s a dream that we all have, for sure. For whatever reason, didn’t happen this year, but, you know, all that I can control is coming here every single day. … Hopefully that can happen next year.”

It will. I guarantee it. Basallo’s growth demands a greater role.

He is already one of the team’s most feared power hitters, which is saying something in a lineup with Alonso and Gunnar Henderson. Basallo has 16 home runs in just 301 plate appearances, giving him the highest home run frequency (5.3%) among all Orioles sluggers.

His bat cooled significantly after a scorching May, but he ranks in the 83rd percentile or better among big leaguers in key power metrics: expected slugging (.479), average exit velocity (91.4 mph) and barrel percentage (12.9%) — nerdy ways to say he hits the ball harder than most of his peers.

I’ve been fascinated by how much overlap Basallo’s Baseball Savant chart has shared at points this season with Henderson’s in 2023, the year before he broke through as an All-Star. Henderson’s was better but not by that much.

The biggest indicators of superstardom to me are the loud ones. When Basallo took an at-bat Friday against lefty Matt Strahm, he looked perfectly composed for the moment even though he generally struggles to hit for power the same way against left-handed pitching.

His reaction — taking his bat above his hands and slamming it down in front of his teammates — speaks to the swagger and confidence that propel him.

Star players shine in star moments, and we’ve seen that from Basallo a bunch already, back to last September when he blasted the team’s first walk-off homer of the season.

He’s still learning how to corral his emotions (and he hasn’t snapped a bat in a while, so maybe there’s growth there). But at times those same pulses of adrenaline can catapult his performances, as they did with Friday’s go-ahead homer. Blaze Alexander and Adley Rutschman are the only Orioles with at least 30 at-bats with runners in scoring position who have a higher OPS than Basallo’s (.869).

“I think it shows the team what I can do in those situations as well,” Basallo said. “For sure it helps knowing that I’ve been able to come through in moments like that and being able to take that confidence going forward.”

What does Basallo need to be an All-Star? More at-bats, for one thing.

For whatever weirdness there was between Basallo and manager Craig Albernaz last month, the coaching staff is starting to trust him more no matter who is pitching. But, still, Basallo chases pitches out of the zone way too often (40.4%). Even though he can hit almost any pitch anywhere, more patience for the right pitch will only make him a tougher out.

Baseball Savant grades his pitch framing as below average, and his blocking and pop time as slightly above average. But Basallo contends he’s better on defense than he was at the start of the season.

“Obviously, that comes, you know, more with repetitions and playing back there more consistently in games,” he said. “But I just continue coming here every single day to work hard and trying to improve in every way.”

The most important improvement Basallo has made is learning when not to work so hard. During games when he was the designated hitter, he started the season taking lots of practice swings in the batting cage between plate appearances. Hitting coaches worried he was wearing himself out before checking into the game.

Albernaz gave Basallo credit for adjusting his preparation and not overdoing his work in the cage. His batting average as a DH is now higher than when he starts at catcher.

It can feel difficult, Basallo acknowledged, when coaches and teammates tell him how talented he is, because then he pushes himself harder to justify their faith. But part of learning to be a star is finding out which areas to work at — and which parts of his game require him to go with the flow.

“Obviously the game is tough for sure, but also when things are going really well out there, you know, it feels like the easiest thing in the world,” he said. “It’s interesting how that works.”

Those moments when baseball looks easy to Basallo make it feel almost like cherry-picking to call him out as a 2027 All-Star. His potential just pops.

Those who excel at the game with a sense of ease — and in Basallo’s case, joy — naturally align themselves for big recognition on the biggest stages. It’s not so much a projection as something that feels overwhelmingly obvious. Basallo is on a trajectory to be one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball.

There is a lot of slogging ahead for the Orioles in 2026, especially with the news of Alexander’s injury. There will be discussions about how they manage the trade deadline, how quickly they sign their new draft picks and how all their moves align for a concrete vision for the future.

Amid all the uncertainty of this time of the season, it’s nice to remember: Some pieces of that future are close to falling into place. As big a leap as it will take to be an All-Star in a year, Basallo feels just a few small steps away from stardom itself — close enough to call the shot.