Marcelo Mayer

Marcelo Mayer

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 188 lb.
• High School Eastlake High School (Chula Vista)

• Born December 12, 2002 in Chula Vista, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Shortstop Marcelo Mayer was the top-ranked player heading into the 2021 Amateur Draft. He was selected 4th overall by the Boston Red Sox, out of a high school in California. He was the Sox's most coveted player from the start, and even though their drafting rank was their highest since the 1967 amateur draft, they were almost certain that he would no longer be available by the time they drafted. Both the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had the first pick, and the Detroit Tigers, were said to be very interested in him, and the Texas Rangers, who drafted second, were looking at him as a back-up option if the Pirates happened to select their preferred player, P Jack Leiter, first overall. However, things fell into place for Boston when Pittsburgh opted instead for C Henry Davis while Detroit took high school P Jackson Jobe after the Rangers did nab Leiter.

Mayer was described as a five-tool prospect before the draft and often compared to players like Corey Seager, Brandon Crawford, Chipper Jones and Carlos Correa. There was some concern that at 6' 3", he could be too big to be a long-term shortstop, although his defense was rated as excellent and his bat was strong enough for him to handle almost any other position if a switch was necessary, as he batted .392 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs as a high school senior. When MLB updated its top 100 prospects list for the first time after the draft, in mid-August, he was the highest ranked player from 2021 to appear on it, at #8. This was based purely on potential, as he had barely started his playing career at that point, with just 5 games with the FCL Red Sox. In his first pro season, he hit .275/.377/.440 in 26 games in the Florida Complex League. In 2022, he started the season with the Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League before moving on to the Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League after 66 games. Overall, he appeared in 91 games and hit .280/.399/.489, with 30 doubles, 13 homers, 61 runs and 53 RBIs.

He was named to the American League team for the 2023 Futures Game.

Further Reading

• Ian Browne: "Red Sox take 'impact' SS Mayer No. 4 overall", mlb.com, July 11, 2021. [1]
• Ian Browne: "Top prospect Mayer draws parallels to former Red Sox star", mlb.com, March 2, 2023. [2]
• Sam Dykstra: "Mayer isn't short on star potential for Red Sox", mlb.com, March 15, 2023. [3]
• Matt Kelly: "Who is Marcelo Mayer?", mlb.com, July 11, 2021. [4]
• Daniel Kramer: "Mayer brings Fenway to Futures Game cleats -- dirt and all", mlb.com, July 8, 2023. [5]