The Boston Red Sox are moving up top prospect Marcelo Mayer to Double-A Portland, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe had the report initially.
Marcelo Mayer is being promoted to Double-A, source confirms @alexspeier report. He’ll be with the SeaDogs in Somerset for their next series.
The shortstop was a first-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 2021 and is the organization’s top prospect. He is the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball.
Marcelo Mayer is being promoted to Double-A, source confirms @alexspeier report. He’ll be with the SeaDogs in Somerset for their next series.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 28, 2023
Here’s his MLB.com profile:
With the No. 4 overall pick in 2021, their highest selection in 54 years, the Red Sox had MLB Pipeline’s top-rated prospect fall into their lap because the Pirates cut a deal with Henry Davis and the Rangers and Tigers had their hearts set on Jack Leiter and Jackson Jobe.
The consensus among scouts was that Mayer was both the best hitter and best defender in his Draft class, a potential combination of Corey Seager’s bat and Brandon Crawford’s glove. Signed for a franchise-record $6,664,000, he batted .280/.399/.489 with 45 extra-base hits and 17 steals in his 2022 full-season debut despite dealing with a right wrist injury early in the year.
Like fellow Eastlake HS (Chula Vista, Calif.) product and former Red Sox All-Star Adrian Gonzalez, Mayer has a sweet left-handed stroke and advanced hitting ability.
Despite a surprisingly high 25 percent strikeout rate in his first two pro seasons, he has displayed the ability to recognize pitches, make good swing decisions and use the entire field. He’s adding strength to his 6-foot-3 frame, and his penchant for hard contact should translate into 25 homers per season once he learns to drive the ball in the air more consistently.
While Mayer is bigger than most shortstops, he has the smooth actions, quick hands and plus arm to make all the plays at the position. The only knock on his game is his fringy speed, though he makes up for it with a quick first step and good instincts on the bases and in the field.
It’s not impossible that he could slow down enough as he fills out that he might have to shift to second or third base, but he’d still profile as a difference-maker offensively and defensively at either spot.
He’s currently hitting .290 with seven homers and 34 RBI this season at Single-A, so it will be interesting to see how quickly he assimilates into the next level.
With Mayer now at Double-A, it’s fair to start wondering when he’ll make his major league debut. It seems doubtful that he would this season, but he certainly is on track to debut in 2024 if he continues to perform.
The Red Sox have used a rotating crew at shortstop in the wake of Xander Bogaerts’s departure and the injury to Trevor Story, so perhaps Mayer can provide some infield instability in the next year or so. He could play shortstop, or could play second base if Story remains at short in the future.
The Red Sox are off on Monday but will play the Reds on Tuesday.
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