The Boston Crimson Sox promoted certainly one of baseball’s finest infield prospects to the majors on Saturday. Marcelo Mayer, the fourth decide within the 2021 draft, has joined the big-league membership after veteran Alex Bregman landed on the injured checklist with what supervisor Alex Cora described as a “vital” proper quad harm. Bregman suffered the harm throughout Friday’s recreation in opposition to the Baltimore Orioles. Mayer is batting sixth and manning third base within the second recreation of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Mayer, 22, opened the season in Triple-A with a 43-game stretch that noticed him hit .271/.347/.471 with 9 dwelling runs and two stolen bases. He entered the spring ranked by CBS Sports activities because the tenth finest prospect within the minors. Here is what we wrote on the time:
Unavailability has grow to be the theme of Mayer’s skilled profession. He is nonetheless but to play in 100 video games in a season, having missed a lot of the second half of 2024 on account of a lumbar pressure that prevented him from making his Triple-A debut. Mayer had an excellent 12 months when he was hearty and hale, practically matching Roman Anthony’s OPS at Double-A. He is added power (and swing and miss) since draft night time, and he continues to be an efficient shortstop with extra quickness than straight-line pace. That makes for an excellent prospect, albeit one with a spotty well being observe document.
The Crimson Sox notably had three of CBS Sports activities’ high 10 prospects, together with Mayer and fellow infielder Kristian Campbell, each of whom are actually a part of Boston’s energetic roster. Outfielder Roman Anthony, the No. 1-ranked prospect coming into the 12 months, can be anticipated to debut over the course of the summer season (although the Crimson Sox proceed to withstand utilizing him to fill in at first base).
Under, CBS Sports activities has highlighted three issues price realizing about Mayer as he embarks on his preliminary tour of the large leagues.
1. Intriguing lefty hitter with energy
Mayer has at all times drawn reward for his offensive potential.
As famous above, he is added muscle since his novice days, a improvement that has allowed him to clear 95 mph this season on greater than 48% of his batted balls. His 111.2 mph most exit velocity (established in mid-April) places him on roughly the identical footing as Wilyer Abreu and Rafael Devers, or the highest two left-handed sticks within the Crimson Sox’s lineup. There’s legit thump right here, in different phrases, even when it is primarily coming to his pull aspect.
That energy will in the end be the important thing to Mayer’s manufacturing, and it should atone for some detrimental features of his profile.
He is at all times been a greater hitter in opposition to righties than lefties, with the latter doing a greater job of getting him to chase and whiff. He is additionally had points with offspeed pitches. In Triple-A, he whiffed on greater than 40% of the swings he took in opposition to changeup and greater than 34% of these taken in opposition to sweepers and sliders; the MLB averages for lefty batters are 29.5 and 31.7% respectively.
2. May very well be key to infield realignment
Whereas Mayer is a shortstop by commerce, he had been receiving enjoying time at different positions in an try to enhance his optionality. Total this season, he had obtained 28 begins at shortstop, 10 at second base (together with 4 in a row to shut out his time at Triple-A), and 4 at third base.
It is to be seen how, exactly, the Crimson Sox deploy Mayer on the big-league stage. The trail of least resistance would have him slotting in on the sizzling nook. That will allow Campbell and Trevor Story to proceed to kind Boston’s most-days double-play mixture.
On the identical time, it is probably that the Crimson Sox had a special plan in thoughts after they gave Mayer so many current, repeated begins on the keystone. It is potential that the Crimson Sox use him there and have Campbell play someplace else — be it within the outfield or first base, the place he is continued to work out earlier than video games.
The Crimson Sox have been relying upon Nick Sogard and Abraham Toro on the chilly nook as of late since dropping each Triston Casas and Romy González to the IL.
3. A part of 2021 draft
Mayer was, naturally, Boston’s first decide and the crown jewel of their 2021 draft. But that exact class has already paid some smaller dividends forward of his arrival.
Certainly, Mayer will grow to be the fourth member of the Crimson Sox’s draft class to achieve The Present, becoming a member of beginning pitcher Hunter Dobbins (at present a part of the beginning rotation); outfielder Niko Kavadas (traded to the Los Angeles Angels final summer season as a part of the deal for reliever Luis García); and right-handed reliever Luis Guerrero.
Along with attempting to make the 2021 draft a win, Mayer might be making an attempt to grow to be the primary Boston first-round infielder to amass at the very least 5 Wins Above Substitute since Jed Lowrie (2005).
