Marcelo Mayer: Is The Hype Machine Real?
Xander Bogaerts is gone. Trevor Story is hurt. Is all hope lost? Right now the Red Sox feel left for dead at the shortstop position. Kike Hernandez and someone to be named later is scheduled to be your Opening Day shortstop in Boston in 2023. In reality, the only thing fans have to look forward to is Marcelo Mayer.
Mayer is likely a name you have heard before. Mayer was the 4th overall selection in the 2021 Rule 4 Draft. The Californian shortstop was expected to go first but slid on draft day allowing the Sox to grab the talented high schooler. The latter part of the statement is the problem. The Red Sox are putting a lot of pressure on Mayer to be great and fast.
Mayer, 20, is still a bit of a mystery in terms of what he will become. Mostly because he never picked up a weight in high school. The early reports in A ball have been very positive. We’re just going to really find out now what Mayer is made of when he faces real, real pitching at the AA and AAA level.
Is the hype machine real? The good news is there is probably reason to be excited about Mayer. He just might not light the world on fire right away and that’s okay. During his age 19 season at A and A+ ball, Mayer slashed .280/.399/.489 with 13 homers, 17 steals, 68 walks, and 107 punchouts in 91 games.
Is there some swing and miss concern? Maybe. The defense appears to be elite out of the get go and that’s what can really raise the floor here.
My comp for Mayer has always been Dansby Swanson with more defensive prowess. Mayer could wind up being a much better version of Swanson but that part is up to him. Will he take the weight training seriously? How much power can we expect at the big league level? Can Mayer hit for consistent contact while cutting down on the strikeouts? I don’t think we have all the answers yet.
Fans should be excited about Marcelo Mayer but we’re still at least a year and a half away from even thinking about seeing him in a Red Sox uniform. His progress throughout AA will be an important factor in continuing to track the young shortstop’s development.
