Baltimore Orioles give former Texas Rangers top catching prospect a new lifeline

Baltimore Orioles sign former Texas Rangers top catching prospect Sam Huff to minor league deal

The Orioles have signed former Rangers catching prospect Sam Huff to a minor league deal, according to MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko. He'll likely be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

The Rangers selected Huff in the seventh round of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Arcadia High School. He eventually became one of the top catching prospects in baseball, with MLB Pipeline having him ranked No. 74 among all MLB prospects pre-2020 and No. 78 pre-2021. He played in the 2019 Futures Game as well.

Huff got his first taste of big-league action with the Rangers in 2020, slashing .355/.394/.742 with three homers, three doubles and four RBI in 33 plate appearances across 10 games. He returned to the majors in 2022, posting a .675 OPS with four homers in 132 plate appearances over 44 games. He had an .801 OPS in 21 games with Texas in 2023, then appeared in just three games for the team in 2024. The Rangers designated him for assignment in the 2024-25 offseason, allowing the San Francisco Giants to claim him.

Huff, 28, appeared in just 20 games for the Giants this past season, hitting .208/.259/.340 with two home runs and four RBI. He elected free agency after finishing the 2025 campaign in the minors, allowing the Orioles to sign him.

Huff has a solid .258/.338/.476 slash line in 1200 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. However, he has struck out at a 29.9% rate in Triple-A, which is likely why he has yet to receive consistent playing time in the majors.

As for his defense, Huff is a decent framer but struggles with controlling the run game and blocking balls in the dirt. In 507 career MLB innings, his framing has measured at +2, throwing at -2 and blocking at -2. With the newly implemented ABS Challenge System, his positive framing won't be as valuable next season.

Ex-Rangers catcher Sam Huff will have tough time making Orioles' 26-man roster

At the catcher position, the Orioles already have two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman and top prospect Samuel Basallo. They also have Maverick Handley, who received playing time with the Orioles last year. Huff has also played first base in 73 games between the minors and majors. Expect Huff to begin the season in Triple-A and receive a promotion to the big leagues if/when Rutschman and/or Basallo suffer injuries.