Marcelo Mayer Apparently Has Never Picked Up A Weight Before In His Life

Marcelo Mayer Apparently Has Never Picked Up A Weight Before In His Life

Will Marcelo Mayer become the steal of the 2021 MLB Draft? Long thought to be the number one prospect in the class drawing major comps, Mayer somehow fell to the Red Sox at the fourth overall pick. While many believed Mayer was bound for Pittsburgh, Boston did their homework on Mayer.

Boston believes Mayer will become an impact level shortstop at the big league level. Mayer has talent but the Sox brass believes he has plenty of room to grow. Apparently, the California high school shortstop has never picked up a weight before in his life…

“He’s not just a guy who stays at shortstop but an impact shortstop,” Red Sox director of amateur scouting Paul Toboni said Sunday evening.

“It’s one of the most appealing things about him,” Toboni said about Mayer’s shortstop defense. “He’s just got such purity to his game. I don’t know how else to put it. His actions and the ease to which he plays shortstop — such a difficult position — it’s like there’s no effort to it. And we think he will get bigger and stronger. But we don’t think it will sacrifice his veer or lateral range. That’s really exciting for us. Obviously the arm plays.”

Toboni said Mayer already is “a big kid,” then added, ‘He’s never lifted a weight before though.”

“He moves with such loose, comfortable action,” Toboni said. “That excites us as scouts because we just see a lot of runway with him going forward. … He has such a natural feel to play the game and such natural instincts to play the game. I think a lot of that is baseball is pretty deeply rooted in his family. He’s had some family members who have played professional baseball I believe in Mexico.”

“It looks like he’s doing it so, so easy,” Toboni said. “You talk about quarterbacks slowing the game down. This kid slows the game down both at shortstop and then when he’s in the box. He’s always under control. He’s always in control.”

“I think the first thing that jumped out to you about the kid, it sounds crazy but how he interacts with people just walking into the park and how mature he is and what a leader he is,” Toboni said.

Did The Red Sox Draft A Steal With Marcelo Mayer?

Boston’s farm system is deprived of top tier pitching prospects. In an ideal world, Jack Leiter would have been their man. However, it’s hard not to be excited for this kid’s upside. The Sox really did their homework here. The kid looks like a natural and has plenty of room to grow. What happens when they actually get Mayer in the weight room? Boston could have ANOTHER superstar infielder on the way.

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