“You get stronger, you hit the ball harder, you’re faster … just taking care of your body more so now than ever, because I went from playing two or three games a week to playing six games a week, with practice. “Those days are definitely gone,” Mayer told MLB.com. But, more importantly, Mayer noticed the difference within himself. His stronger build caught the eye of Red Sox manager Alex Cora this spring. Mayer, who will play the entire 2022 season as a 19 year old, got above 200 pounds using an offseason weightlifting regimen. The player that first arrived in Fort Myers - after all the fanfare that goes with being a first-round pick, which included a round of batting practice at Fenway Park - to start his professional journey looked a lot different when he showed up for his first Spring Training this year. At the time, Toboni made note of Mayer’s strength and natural raw power but also mentioned that he didn’t have much of a weightlifting regimen in high school. The Chula Vista, California native had a big frame but left a lot of room to fill out and even admitted himself that he was not so swift of foot coming out of the Draft. #MLBDraft /ptkQJsL4Ds- Red Sox July 12, 2021 It's what's important and these guys made it really easy.” “Getting them into a mental, like a good mindset to be moved up, that's going to be the biggest one. Most of it is going to be just getting them used to the professional environment,” FCL coach Bianca Smith told in February. “Among these top guys, there's not much we actually have to tweak. His maturity and tremendous makeup were noted alongside his abilities on the field throughout the Draft process, and he proved to be wise beyond his years throughout his first Minor League season. He also stole seven bases in eight attempts.Īlthough it won’t appear in the box score, Mayer showed an ability to make a difficult game look easy at a very early stage in his development. 275/.377/.440 with eight extra-base hits, including three homers, 17 RBIs, 25 runs scored and 15 walks. His power showed up before his elite bat-to-ball skills in the early going - although his hit tool grades better than his power - but he eventually evened out and had an encouraging debut. In less than 50 games in the professional ranks, Mayer has shown his gifted potential.įollowing the Draft, Mayer finished out the season in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. It's not like he's showing off, it's just kind of his nature, it all comes pretty easy to him.” I say that with positive tone behind it, where he's flipping balls with his glove, and catching balls through the legs, and going behind the back. I say Brandon Crawford, because if you watch this kid take pregame ground balls, he's one of the cockiest defenders I've ever seen in my life. “But I say Seager because Marcelo does have a little bit of a bigger build. I throw those names out there not to set expectations for him or anything,” Red Sox director of amateur scouting Paul Toboni told MLB.com. “He's got just a really advanced feel to his game, an ease to his game. Rival scouts and Red Sox evaluators mentioned All-Stars like Corey Seager and Brandon Crawford when profiling the high schooler on both sides of the ball. Although many wouldn’t consider being a top-5 pick with that large of a bonus a slide, Mayer had come into view as the top offensive and defensive prospect in the Draft by the end of his incredible senior season at Eastlake High School. 4 overall selection and signed for a full-slot $6,664,000 bonus. Mayer, a 6-foot-3 shortstop, was chosen by the Red Sox with the No. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.Īs he rose to the top of MLB Pipeline’s Draft prospect rankings last year, Marcelo Mayer drew some lofty comparisons. Here's a look at top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer. Each week, profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream.
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