ORGANIZATION REPORT American League
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The cancellation of the 2020 minor league season and then a knee injury sustained in spring training this year put third baseman Coby Mayo’s professional debut on hold. But it never tested his patience or impacted his development.
His days were coming. And the lofty expectations surrounding the fourth-round pick would be justified.
The 19-year-old Mayo made a big splash in his early games in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, displaying the power and plus arm that had scouts flocking to Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Fla.
That tool set had the Orioles willing to give Mayo, who grew to 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, a $1.775 million bonus that was well above the $565,600 slot value.
Mayo hit .329/.440/.566 with four home runs and 13 walks in 25 games to earn a promotion to Low-A Delmarva.
Before reporting to instructional league last fall, Mayo and other young players were kept busy with a variety of creative activities meant to educate and create a bond.
“They did a really, really good job,” Mayo said. “They had a lot of the new players on Zoom calls every Monday and Thursday and we read books together and got to know each other through Zoom.
“That was kind of a new way of communicating with the team and some of the guys. We read some books that were really key in our organization, what the Orioles preach, so that was really good.”
The Orioles weren’t interested in making drastic changes in Mayo, who decided to forgo his commitment to Florida. Scouting director Brad Ciolek said Mayo demonstrated 70-grade power on the 20-80 scale.
Mayo appreciated the organization’s approach of helping him while not forcing him to make unneeded adjustments.
“Obviously, I’m 19 years old and I’m still young,” he said. “There’s going to be adjustments that have to be made, whether it’s on the field, off the field. But I think they did a good job trying to help me out.”
—ROCH KUBATKO
BOSTON RED SOX
When the Red Sox drafted Blaze Jordan in the third round in 2020, the scouting consensus on him was fairly clear. Jordan’s prodigious power had been known for years.
He hit tape-measure homers in big league ballparks while taking part in showcases as an eighth grader. But with Jordan’s standout power came obvious concern about the frequency with which the 6-foot-2, 220-pound righthanded hitter would strike out—and whether he was destined to be an all-or-nothing hitter who would be relegated to first base.
Early in the 18-year-old Jordan’s professional career, those concerns have given way to excitement within the organization about his offensive and defensive traits.
The Red Sox kept Jordan in extended spring training this year in hopes of giving him an environment to focus on his defensive work at third base, with encouraging signs in that regard.
But Jordan’s offensive approach in the
