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Physical Description: Tall,
athletic frame. Loose and projectable with room to add strength
as he physically matures. Looks the part.
Hit:
Starts open and vertical with his hands high. Quiet load with a
very short leg lift. Fluid swing with solid feel for hit. Quick
hands. Above-average bat speed. Impressive bat control. Ball
jumps off his bat; has already shown the ability to turn on
velocity. Will use all fields and does not try to do too much at
the plate. Needs to tighten up his approach, as he chases at a
high rate. Needs to improve pitch recognition, especially
against breaking balls. Some questions about how his contact
skills will translate against more advanced pitching. Potential
average hit tool.
Power: Plus raw power.
Strong for his frame with good extension in his swing. Has
already shown the ability to drive the ball in the air to all
fields. Needs to add some strength, and if he does, will turn
doubles in the gap into home runs. Potential for above-average
game power at his peak.
Run:
Below-average speed. Good instincts, but not a burner. Will play
faster than his foot speed because of how he reads the game.
Field: Instinctual defender with very fluid
actions. Looks like he is gliding on the field. Soft hands and
solid footwork. Moves well and has plenty of range for
shortstop. Confident defender; will take a flashy infield.
Potential plus defender at short.
Arm:
Plus arm, plenty for shortstop. Able to make all the throws with
plenty of zip. |
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Career
Notes: Was seen as the consensus top prospect in the
2021 MLB Draft but fell to the Red Sox with the fourth pick.
First caught the attention of scouts while playing with Twins
2019 first-round pick Keoni Cavaco. Switch hit when he was young
but decided to focus on hitting left-handed after the eighth
grade. Played with and against Red Sox 2022 first-round pick
Mikey Romero in high school and on the travel circuit. Was
committed to USC when drafted. Participated in the 2021 Fall
Performance Program. Entered 2022 season as a consensus top 20
prospect. Missed most of a period of about a month in April/May
2022 due to a wrist sprain. Was set to participate in the 2022
Fall Performance Program that was canceled due to Hurricane Ian.
Entered 2023 as a consensus top 10 prospect in the game.
Suffered a shoulder injury on a slide on May 7, 2023, and while
he only missed a week, the injury bothered him until he was
placed on the injured list in early August, missing the rest of
the season. Splits from before and after the injury were
drastic, and it is likely the injury affected his performance.
Participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Program in
January 2024. Prospect stock slid some entering 2024, but was
still seen as a consensus top 30 or so prospect.
Summation: Potential above-average regular. Ceiling of
a regular all-star. Has all the tools you look for in a future
everyday shortstop and the offensive upside to hit at the top of
a contending team's lineup. Game comes easy to him. Potential
for four above-average-or-better tools. Should be able to stick
at shortstop and hit for a high average with power. Was regarded
by some as one of the best, if not the best, defenders in the
2021 draft. Complete profile on both sides of the ball gives him
an all-star ceiling, but development has been somewhat slowed by
long-term injuries in both 2022 and 2023.
Links
Red Sox Select Marcelo Mayer with the Fourth Pick (7.11.21)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.15.2023)
Spring Training
Video (3.17.2023)
Spring Training
Video (3.18.2023) |
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