Sea Dogs Notebook: Marcelo Mayer begins season with seven-game hitting streak
What a difference a year makes for Marcelo Mayer. The Red Sox top prospect is healthy to begin the season, and he is mashing at the plate for the Portland Sea Dogs.
After being shut down in August last season with a left shoulder impingement, Mayer has started 2024 with a seven-game hitting streak. The five-tool shortstop has an impressive slash line of .357/.387/.500 with one double, one homer, and five RBIs.
Mayer’s lone homer came in the Sea Dogs 11-0 win over Reading on Friday night. His homer went 427 feet and left his bat at 106 mph, according to the team broadcast.
The 21-year-old shortstop The 21-year-old shortstop went 2-for-4 with one walk, three runs, one RBI, and two strikeouts in the contest.
With his shoulder injury in the past and with his strong start offensively for the Sea Dogs, Mayer could be in line for a promotion to Triple-A Worcester.
Eddinson Paulino’s weekend power surge
Red Sox infield prospect Eddinson Paulino closed out the Sea Dogs’ series with the Reading Fightin’ Phils by homering in each of his last three games.
Paulino homered twice on Saturday in each game of the day-night doubleheader. He followed up that performance by going 2-for-5 on Sunday with a homer, double, three RBIs, and two runs in the Sea Dogs’ 9-5 win.
The 21-year-old Dominican native is 7-for-24 (.292 batting average) with a .346 on-base percentage, .708 slugging percentage, three homers, one double, four runs, eight RBIs, one steal, one walk, and six strikeouts in six games this season.
Paulino is the organization’s No. 19-ranked prospect with SoxProspects.com. He offers above-average raw power and average speed and is considered an average defender who can play several positions, according to his scouting report on the SoxProspects website.
Roman Anthony continues to ‘do damage’ at the plate
Roman Anthony is having fun opening the 2024 season, and in the process, he is mashing Double-A pitching.
Anthony slugged his first two homers of the season, homering twice on Saturday during the doubleheader with the Reading Fightin Phils.
The Florida native is hitting .333 with two blasts, four RBIs, six runs, an .385 OBP, and a 1.093 OPS.
One of the reasons for his early success is that Anthony is being aggressive early on in the counts as the Sea Dogs leadoff hitter.
"Just being aggressive early in that leadoff spot," Anthony said to MLB.com. "I just stuck to my approach that I've always had—using all fields and just trying to do damage right there on a pitch up. Regardless of what pitch it is—fastball -- fastball, offspeed—the goal remains the same for me. I'm just trying to get my swing off early, regardless of the level. As you go up, the pitchers just get better and get more around the zone. I feel like I benefit from it, and just getting a pitch up early and getting my swing off, good things will happen."
