Did The Red Sox Draft A Steal With Marcelo Mayer?
For weeks leading up to the 2021 MLB Draft, all indications were that the Pittsburgh Pirates were going to select California high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Former Red Sox general manager, now Pirates GM pulled off a shocker selecting Louisville catcher Henry Davis instead with the first pick. In a wild turn of events, the number one ranked player (Mayer) fell right into Boston’s laps with the fourth overall pick.
Full transparency, I was rooting for Jack Leiter. He just feels like can’t miss to me. If not Leiter, then feed me Kumar Rocker. Both of the Vanderbilt pitchers are studs and proven commodities. High school players obviously carry a lot more risk but Mayer looks like the real deal.
It’s not a surprise he was previously thought of as a lock to go first. Mayer was drawing mega comps. Scouts compare his offensive prowess to Corey Seager and defensive glove work to Brandon Crawford. Hey, those are some lofty comps.
Losing out on Leiter is crushing but Mayer’s ceiling is hard to ignore. I’m not going to pretend I watch high school baseball but his tape looked legit during the draft coverage. 6-foot-3, silky hands, a smooth athlete, sexy stroke, and some swag out there making defensive players.
Boston has some serious infield talent in the farm system. Nick Yorke (who the Sox picked last year) is smashing the ball in the minors. Jeter Downs looks like a stud and was part of the Mookie Betts trade. Now adding a rockstar like Mayer to the mix? Not to mention, Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts will start the All-Star Game representing the Red Sox.
This is maybe a silly thing to say, but I totally believe it. During the interviews during the draft, this kid looked confident as hell. He just looks like a baseball player. How can you ignore those 80 grade eye brows? Young Vinny Chase could turn into a star.
You never know with high school kids. Maybe this pick turns into a disaster. However, if Mayer lives up to his potential, we will forever remember the moment where Chaim Bloom sat there and somehow watched the number one player in the draft fall into their laps. Bloom looks like he knows what he’s doing.
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