McAdam: Red Sox take high school SS Marcelo Mayer with No. 4 pick

For the last few weeks, the Red Sox were connected to catcher Henry Davis or pitcher Jack Leiter -- the top two college talents in this year's draft.

But with both picks off the board, chosen with the first two picks, the Red Sox went with Marcelo Mayer, an 18-year-old shortstop from Chula Vista, California. Mayer had been ranked as either the first- or second-ranked player in the draft. He attended Eastlake High School, the alma mater of former Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

A left-handed hitter, Mayer, who is 6-for-3, 188 pounds, has drawn comparisons to Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers as a hitter and San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford in the field.

The Sox chose Mayer over Jordan Lawlar, another high school shortstop standout from the Dallas area and Kahlil Watson, a high school shortstop from North Carolina. They also passed on Leiter's Vanderbilt teammate, righthander Kumar Rocker. Rocker lasted until the No. 10 pick by the New York Mets.

"This draft just seemed a little bit unsettled at the top,'' said Red Sox scouting director Paul Toboni. "It was tough to grasp if there was a consensus on these players -- not just the three teams that picked ahead of us, but of course ourselves and the two that picked behind us. What became pretty clear, as the first few picks unfolded, was that we had these players ranked a little bit differently.

"We had a subset of players I think we really liked. But I think this outcome is one that everybody is really, really excited about.''

Toboni added that after Leiter went second to Texas, the Sox got word that Detroit, selecting third, was ready to take Jackson Jobe, a high school pitcher from Oklahoma, the realization that Mayer would be there at No. 4 began to dawn on the decision-makers in the Red Sox organization.

"It's funny, there was a like a slow trickle of excitement that worked around the room,'' he said. "It was cool to see because there was genuine excitement on everyone's face.''

The Red Sox boast four shortstops among their current Top 20 prospects -- if you include Jeter Downs, obtained from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts deal, and Nick Yorke, their top pick last year. But both Downs and Yorke have moved to second base in the Red Sox minor league system.

In theory, the Red Sox would seem set at short at the major league level for the foreseeable future, since they have current All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts signed to a long-term deal through the 2025 season with an option for 2026. But Bogaerts has an opt-out in his deal after the 2022 season and could be seeking a much bigger deal than his current six-year, $120-million contract.

Despite his size, the Sox are confident that Mayer will remain at shortstop for the long term.

"We absolutely do,'' said Toboni. "Honestly, that's one of the most appealing things about him. The ease with which he plays shortstop, it's like there's no effort to it. We think he will get bigger and stronger, but we don't think it will sacrifice his speed or his lateral range. That's really exciting for us. Obviously, the arm plays and for all those reasons, he's not just a guy who stays at shortstop but an impact shortstop.

"If you watch him pre-game, taking ground balls, he's one of the cockiest defenders I've ever seen in my life. And I say that with a positive tone behind it, where he's flipping balls with his glove and catching balls through his legs and going behind the back. It's not like he's showing off. It's kind of his nature, like it all comes pretty easy to him.'' 

In an interview with ESPN, Mayer revealed that he had grown up a Yankee fan, but noted: 'I'm the biggest Red Sox fan of all time now.''

In speaking with the MLB Network, Mayer chose David Ortiz as the Red Sox player he grew up idolizing.

In 21 games in his senior year, Mayer slashed .378/.500/.867 with 13 homers and 17 stolen bases. Mayer gets plus-plus grades from scouts on his hit tool, defense and arm, with above-average power and fringe-average speed.

"He moves with such loose, comfortable actions,'' said Toboni."That excites us as scouts, because we just see a lot of runway with him going forward. The second thing that jumps out to you is, he has such a natural feel for the game, such natural instincts. I think a lot of that is baseball is pretty deeply rooted in his family. But the thing that really sticks out to me with Marcelo's game is that he just does everything at a pace that he looks like he's doing it so, so easy.

"This kid slows the game down, both at shortstop and when he's in the box. He's always under control. He's always in control, really.''