As we draw closer to Opening Day, now less than two weeks away as this is written, who will and won’t be on that day one roster is becoming more clear.
There are plenty of players we know will be in that Opening Day lineup. Likewise, there are some we know who will begin in Double or Triple-A. The fun thing about having a farm system that is at the level of the Orioles’ is the number of players that you can not justify sending back to the minors to begin the year.
Right now, we are waist deep in the water of that exact situation with infielder, Coby Mayo. And let’s be clear, this is not a bad situation.
Heading into this spring, all eyes and conversations were on the O’s and MLB’s top-ranked prospect, Jackson Holliday, and rightfully so. However, much more under the radar than he ever should be, Mayo has been showing that he may be the next best prospect to hit the lineup for the Birds.
Mayo was one of those high school picks back in 2020 who was known for his bat coming out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Mayo was selected by GM Mike Elias when he went underslot on pick No. 2 of that draft to take Heston Kjerstad, knowing he wanted to save funds for Mayo later on in the night.
Mayo immediately could hit anything in the minor leagues, and we are seeing the evolution of that so far in spring. But what has also been so impressive is his turnaround as a defensive third baseman, which is ultimately what would make or break his chances at playing at the major league level this year.
Last season between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, Mayo logged a respectable .920 fielding percentage at third base. Having 20 errors, which mostly came from throwing, are what had fans skeptical of his defensive ability when spring started.
Since the start of spring training, however, Mayo showcased a whole new throwing motion from third base, which elevates his Austin Riley comparison even more. Simply put, this revolutionized motion and mechanics have turned him into a true third baseman.
On the offensive side, I can’t remember a prospect with no big league experience who looked this ready during spring training. So far, Mayo has netted 10 hits in 39 plate appearances, six of which have been for extra bases.
In a matchup against the Braves’ newest starter, Chris Sale, Mayo shined. Sale has looked like the lefty slinger of old thus far in 2024, and yet 22-year-old Mayo hung in with him and ended the at-bat with a double. He then later hit his first spring home run in that same game.
In his 16 spring games, Mayo is slugging a whopping .563 to assist in his .998 OPS. Those are very, very good numbers against top-level pitching. On top of that, 18 total bases in just 16 games is eye-opening.
In terms of being ready as a major league level player, the numbers against both right and left-handed pitching are what stand out, especially on a team that relies too heavily on platooning and match-ups.
This spring, Mayo is hitting at least .300 against both rightys and leftys, has a .923 OPS against right-handers and has hit four of his six extra-base hits against right-handed pitchers.
This raises the obvious question of what to do with Ramón Urías. Personally, I don’t understand what spot Urías can hold on this team with Mayo playing the way he is. However, the one downfall of losing Urías is losing a Gold Glove third baseman.
That being said, I believe Mayo’s defense is on its way to being at that level. Beyond that, Mayo still hits right-handers better than Urías, who’s known for being a reverse splits guy.
Of course, things are still unknown, as we have less than two weeks to go. But it would be a mistake on Elias’ part to not have Mayo on that Opening Day roster.
Mayo’s improved defense and incredible right-handed bat will play extremely well at Camden Yards, and we can hope that his career in that stadium will begin on March 28, 2024.
What are your feelings on Coby Mayo and his chances of making the team out of spring? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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