The top Red Sox prospect put on show in simulated action
The Boston Red Sox played a simulated game on Monday at JetBlue Park where top prospect Marcelo Mayer took a Nathan Eovaldi pitch over the triangle in center field.
Marcelo Mayer just homered off Nathan Eovaldi pic.twitter.com/mgzXOAAwR5
— Steve Hewitt (@steve_hewitt) March 28, 2022
Eovaldi had high praise for the top prospect in the Red Sox farm system, according to Steve Hewitt of the Boston Herald.
"“The pitch was designed to be up and in and it was a good pitch,” said Eovaldi. “He [Mayer] got his hands to it and knocked it out.“He’s one of those gifted guys. He’s going to make an impact with the team eventually”."
Mayer struck out against Eovaldi in his first at-bat. When he got into the batter’s box the second time he had a different approach. He said he was, “sitting fastball and I was able to get it out”. The crack off of the left-hander’s bat is a sound that all Red Sox fans are going to love to hear in the coming years at Fenway.
"“It was just a really cool moment,” said Mayer. “I was kind of shocked. Just to be able to put a ball in play against him, it’s pretty cool.”"
One day we will see some more pretty cool things out of Mayer at the big league level.
Last summer in the Florida Complex League, Mayer batted .275, with 25 hits, three homers, four doubles, one triple, 17 RBIs, 25 runs, and 7 steals over 26 games played. Just imagine what he will do with a full season under his belt of playing ball.
It will be interesting to see how long Alex Cora keeps the 19-year-old in Fort Myers. We already know he has done two spring cuts with another one most likely coming this week. The experience the young infielder is gaining playing with the big league club this spring will be invaluable for him moving forward. I think Cora is smart to keep him around so he can keep learning from the guys in the clubhouse.
Moving forward, I could see Mayer starting in Low-A Salem to begin the season, and then hopefully work his way up to Double-A Portland by the time the season ends. His upside in the field is also something the Sox are excited to watch develop during his first full minor league season.
In the coming years, the Red Sox infield might be as lethal as ever. With Trevor Story on the books for the next six years, hopefully a Rafael Devers extension coming soon, a mixture of Tristan Casas and Bobby Dalbec, and if Xander Bogaerts signs up to finish his career in a Red Sox uniform, we can only imagine what the infield in Boston is going to look like for years to come.