1 MARCELO MAYER SS
Hit: 60 Power: 55 Speed: 40 Fielding: 60 Arm: 60 BA Grade: 65 Risk: High
Born: Dec. 12, 2002. B-T: L-R. HT: 6-3. WT: 205.
Drafted: HS—Chula Vista, Calif., 2021 (1st round).
Signed by: J.J. Altobelli.
TRACK RECORD: In 2019, Red Sox area scout J.J. Altobelli made several trips to Eastlake High to see eventual first-rounder Keoni Cavaco, but it was Mayer—then a sophomore—who repeatedly commanded his attention. Mayer’s consistent excellence in high school and a stint on Team USA’s 17U development team in 2019 established him as a clear top talent entering the 2021 season. He was the sort of player who would almost never be available to the Red Sox in the draft, but Boston’s awful performance in the Covid-compressed 2020 campaign netted the organization’s highest pick since 1967. While Mayer was a candidate to go to the Pirates with the top pick after a dominant senior year—he hit .397/.555/.886 with 14 homers, 31 walks and eight strikeouts—he remained on the board when the Red Sox picked at No. 4. They jumped at the chance to take him, signing him to a $6.64 million bonus. After the first two months of Mayer’s first full pro season in 2022 were disrupted by a right wrist sprain, he excelled as a 19-year-old against more experienced competition with Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville. He showed impressive maturity and polish both in the field and at the plate.
Mayer’s smooth lefthanded swing is the stuff of instructional videos. His ability to manipulate the barrel and adapt his swing plane to pitches of varying types and locations at a young age is captivating. He produces easy loft to left field—a trait that should eventually serve him well at Fenway Park—and the ability to hit rockets to his pull side. It’s a combination that suggests a doubles machine with 20-plus homer upside. Though his 25% percent strikeout rate—and tendency to swing-and-miss on pitches below the zone—proved higher than expected, his 16% walk rate pointed to both good pitch recognition and swing decisions. Mayer showed the ability to respond to struggles in 2022. He bounced back after a tough start to his time in High-A Greenville—he hit .179 through 17 games—with a blistering .452/.553/.710 stretch to close
