Marcelo Mayer has generally been considered the least developed of the Red Sox’s “Big 3” prospects, offensively speaking.
For that reason, coupled with incumbent shortstop Trevor Story and a roster logjam in front of him, it has felt like a long shot that he would be joining the team by Opening Day.
The 22-year-old and No. 12 prospect in the game is doing his best to speed up that timeline…
Mayer wowed with a three-hit day in Thursday’s spring training game against Detroit, slugging a two-run homer and an RBI triple.
“That was a good time,” Mayer told MLB.com. “I’m glad we got the win. It’s fun to play with the boys again.”
Mayer played the role of an early spark plug with his three-bagger in the first inning that plated Kristian Campbell after his one-out walk.
Marcelo Mayer’s RBI triple off of Jack Flaherty, if you even care… pic.twitter.com/p4uRzUGu3h
— Brian Dankese (@briandankese) February 27, 2025
Campbell finished 0 for 2 with a pair of strikeouts. Fellow Big 3 member Roman Anthony went 1 for 3 with an RBI double in the fifth, then came around to score on his buddy Mayer’s 352-footer to right.
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
It’s still early, and again… it’s spring training. But Mayer is now batting .455 this spring and is serving us all a reminder as to why he was once a top prospect in baseball.
Even though I’d still deem it unlikely Mayer opens the season with the big league club, a very strong spring would make it seem more likely that he could slide right in if (when? unfortunately…) Story gets hurt. Of course, Mayer did play third base on Thursday, but as well we know... that spot is taken.
All in all, things are pretty good right now down on the Fort… Fort Mayer-s.
Roman Anthony. Kristian Campbell. Marcelo Mayer.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 27, 2025
Three of MLB's Top 12 prospects combined to go 4-for-8 with a 2B, 3B, HR and 4 RBIs for the #RedSox on Thursday: https://t.co/feUpjpDKmZ pic.twitter.com/Oxral5nq7h
Got Raffy’s back
Lucas Giolito is the latest Sox player to come to the defense of Rafael Devers in the wake of his third base comments following the Alex Bregman signing.
Just like Raffy, who said he was surprised that his comments became such a big story, Giolito was taken aback by the blowback.
“No one really gives a (expletive) about that, because I’ll let everybody in on a secret. We are employees, so if they tell somebody, ‘Oh, you’re playing here,’ all right,” the pitcher told Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “You know, at the end of the day, whatever helps the team win.”
Giolito added that he was “kind of astounded when, you know, I saw what Raffy said and I was just kind of laughing, you know, like I joked about it with him. And then two days later, I’m like, ‘Jesus Christ.’ It’s like a bomb went off on the internet. I’m like ‘(expletive), dude, no one here cares so much about that.’”
Clearly, those are words spoken by a player who has never played in a baseball market as serious as Boston. Because, guess what, people do care… they care a whole heck of a lot. Especially when you have a team that could be, you know, good.
You know who definitely cares? Rafael Devers... because he said it.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: this wasn’t a media creation, this was a "Rafael Devers inserting his foot into his mouth" creation. Raffy has since said he’s all good, and Bregman’s said he’s all good. So if everybody’s all good, we can move on.
Except some, like Giolito, keep choosing to rehash it. And when they do that, newsflash… we in the media are going to talk about it, too.
Top 10?
Garrett Crochet has already generated plenty of buzz and excitement within Red Sox Nation.
Others seem to be taking notice, as well.
Crochet’s talent is no secret: he’s coming off his first All-Star appearance, he’s a former No. 11 overall pick who didn’t spend one second in the minor leagues. Crochet is definitely among the game’s better starting pitchers.
But top ten in all of baseball?
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, not only is Crochet good, but there are only a handful of pitchers better than him. Just nine, to be exact…
“In the first days of spring training, he has looked exactly how he did for the White Sox last year — totally overpowering,” Olney writes, and later continues “he and Walker Buehler give the Red Sox bona fide aces at the top of their rotation. … He’ll pitch when the Red Sox need him to pitch.”
That’s some pretty high praise, and it certainly might be warranted. There are few pitchers with higher perceived upside than Crochet. But personally? I’m not ready to deem him one of the top ten starters in MLB just yet…
Crochet obviously pitched well enough to earn himself a trip to Arlington last July, something only 29 other pitchers in MLB can say. His wins-loss record is mostly irrelevant (he was 6-12) last season, playing for the historically inept White Sox, but his ERA was in the mid 3.00s for the second straight season — 3.58 to be precise.
That wasn’t top 10 in the big leagues last year, or anywhere near it (old friend Chris Sale’s 2.38 mark paced the majors).
It’s fair to be expecting a big jump forward for Crochet this season, and bettors certainly are — considering he’s got the second best odds to win the American League Cy Young Award. I would be surprised if Crochet didn’t lower that ERA and look like a better pitcher this year, barring injury.
But just because he’s the clear cut ace of the Red Sox doesn’t mean he’s going to be the clear cut best pitcher in baseball.
Ultimately, all I’m expecting from Crochet is that he strikes a lot of guys out, cleans up the walks and wildness a bit, posts for over 140 innings again and, most importantly, helps this club win some ballgames.
Top ten, top five, top 20, it doesn’t matter so much…