Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer takes liftoff amid struggles
It’s been quite the mixed bag so far for Boston Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer since his promotion to the AA Portland Sea Dogs. Despite sporting a measly .157 batting average, it hasn’t been all bad. Last night he slugged his 4th home run for the Sea Dogs and it easily could’ve been his 5th.
In the bottom of the 3rd inning, with a score of 4-1, Mayer drove a ball to deep left-center field. Unfortunately for Mayer, the Reading Fightin Phils centerfielder Johan Rojas rose up and robbed the young shortstop of his big moment. Fortunately for Mayer, he got his chance at some sweet revenge.
Come the bottom of the 6th inning, Mayer crushed one again to left-center field. This time out of the reach of Rojas as the ball crashed off the LED scoreboard. Mick Abel, the #34 prospect in baseball, could not contain Mayer a second time. An invigorating sign to see him put together such competitive at-bats against one of the best pitching prospects at the level.
With 7 of his 11 hits ending up as extra-base hits, it’s safe to say Mayer is slugging the ball when he hits safely. And while it’s been far and few in the early goings for the 20-year-old, there’s something sort of comforting in his struggles. Especially for such a young player for the level, it could be a blessing in disguise for Mayer to struggle.
The minor leagues are built for this sort of thing. You want to see these players struggle and come out on the other side of it a better player. Especially seeing flashes last night where Mayer is driving two baseballs over the fence, even if only one of them ends up in the scorebook as a home run.
Where fans should find solace in the struggle is his confidence. While the two hard hit balls are exciting to see, arguably the most encouraging moment of the night came two pitches before the home run, in a 3-0 count. With the whole ballpark knowing he was going to get something to hit, he promptly swung through a fastball down the middle.
While it once again can be hard to see why this is important, think about the moment. Hitting just shy of .150, he had no problem swinging away in a situation where he knew he was going to be challenged. He didn’t shy away from it. The 2020 draftee stood in there and took his best swing. It could’ve been easy for him to stand in there and watch the incoming fastball, hoping for a 4th straight ball.
Slugging through the struggles and exhibiting his self-confidence are things that fans should take note of. Hopefully Mayer will put the slugging and confidence together for a big performance sometime soon, continuing the series against the Reading Fightin Phils throughout the week.
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