The Boston Red Sox had arguably the best offseason in baseball after adding all-star third baseman Alex Bregman and starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. However, even without the additions they made, there is plenty of reason to believe they will be better than they were last year based on the talent they have coming through the top of their farm system.
The Red Sox feature four prospects on MLB Pipeline's top 100 ranking, three of which fall within the top-12. These three prospects have very fittingly been coined Boston's "big three."
That triumvirate consists of Roman Anthony (#2 overall), Kristian Campbell (#7), and Marcelo Mayer (#12). Of the three, Anthony and Campbell have really taken center stage recently as they have undoubtedly been the top performers for Boston's minor league teams. However, it has actually been Mayer, the 22-year-old shortstop, that has stolen the show thus far in spring training.
Marcelo Mayer has been one of the best hitting prospects at spring training
It's important to note that spring training results are to be taken with a grain of salt, but I have always been a believer that they mean more for prospects than big league ballplayers.
For some prospects, it's their first taste at facing major league opposition, and the data we retain from these matchups help us to project future performance for our favorite players. With that being said, Marcelo Mayer has been one of the best hitting prospects at spring training in what is still a pretty small sample size.
Mayer has played in just five games and has been up to the plate 15 times so far. In those five games, Mayer has posted a .385/.467/.769 slash line, which gives him the third highest OPS on the Red Sox at 1.236.
His performance has been highlighted by his big day on Thursday (2/27), where he went 3-3 with a home run and a triple while driving in three runs. They weren't cheap shots either — he hit his home run off of Kenta Maeda while his triple came via Jack Flaherty.
Of the many top prospects that have received opportunities this spring, Mayer has arguably performed the best. Among players 24 years old or younger, Mayer's 1.236 OPS ranks ninth. Only two of the players ahead of him are non-debuted minor league hitters (Robert Hassell lll, Gabriel Rincones Jr.).
Aside from the numbers, Mayer has just looked really comfortable both in the batter's box and on the field. He hasn't been afraid to swing the bat early in counts, but he also hasn't been forcing himself into bad swings either as he's drawn two walks against just three strikeouts.
He has played well at shortstop and has been clean defensively aside from an odd situation where he had to play third base, a position in which he has only played twice in his career, and proceeded to make back-to-back errors. Other than that, Mayer has appeared to be the most MLB-ready player among Boston's big three despite not having made it to Triple-A yet.
Have a game, Marcelo Mayer!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 27, 2025
MLB's No. 12 prospect swats a two-run homer and rips an RBI triple on a three-hit day for the @RedSox. pic.twitter.com/d1yfCkkKqV
Mayer's performance might actually cause the Red Sox some problems
While Mayer has performed the best during spring training, Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell are still closer to earning roster spots based off of their most recent regular season performances.
Campbell's path to the big league team was supposed to be a lot more accessible than it is now after Rafael Devers doubled down on wanting to play third base rather than moving to either first base or DH. That move was meant to allow Alex Bregman to take over at the hot corner, which would then free up second base for Campbell.
With that being said, there's already quite the logjam in Boston, specifically blocking both Campbell and Mayer in the infield.
Mayer has yet to play at all at Triple-A Worcester, so if the Red Sox were to face the injury bug early on at shortstop, either Campbell or David Hamilton would be the likely answer in the interim.
However, if Mayer continues to hit at a high level, the Red Sox might need to have a conversation with themselves, and it could potentially lead to them making a trade to free up some of the infield tension. Mayer kicking down the door would simply speed up the process. These are good problems to have as a franchise, but certainly leaves the front office with tough decisions to make.
Another day, another hit for Marcelo Mayer.
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) February 23, 2025
Swing = 🧈 pic.twitter.com/JspjFTAZLi