Red Sox Prospect Projected to Become Top MLB Player at New Position

Getty

Boston Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer

Although he has become a top-10 prospect as a shortstop, many MLB analysts believe Marcelo Mayer will make his Major League debut with the Boston Red Sox at first base.

But Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report sees Mayer’s future unfolding across the diamond as MLB’s top player at third base.

Red Sox fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mayer at Fenway Park since he was drafted as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 draft. One of “the Big Three” along with Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony , the 6-foot-3, 188-pound Mayer has done nothing but hit while steadily climbing through Boston’s minor league system.

Marcelo Mayer Has Dominated Offensively at Triple-A Worcester

This season, his first at Triple-A, Mayer has played in 32 of Worcester’s 36 games, posting a slash line of .277/.342/.492 with an .834 OPS, hitting five doubles and seven home runs with 35 RBIs in 130 at bats. Geoff Pontes of Baseball America recently highlighted some of the “under-the-hood data” that points to Mayer’s readiness to face major league pitching.

“We’re a month into the season, and this is the best Mayer has looked in his professional career,” Pontes wrote. “He has the lowest chase rate of his career to date with a 25% mark, down from a year ago. Mayer’s contact metrics are also up, as his in-zone whiff this season is down to 17%. The improvement in plate skills has seen Mayer grow into his reputation as an advanced-hitting shortstop with power.

“While he showed development as a power hitter in 2024, his exit velocity metrics are once again up across the board. Mayer’s 107.4 mph 90th percentile EV is up nearly a full tick from his 2024 mark of 106.5 mph. Now on the cusp of the major leagues, Mayer is showing the blend of skills needed to make a successful jump.”

In his last 18 games with the WooSox, the 22-year-old from the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista has batted .357 with five home runs. Mayer was named International Player of the Week for the week of April 21-27 after batting . 450 (9-for-20) with three doubles, three homers, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored, only increasing the chatter over when Mayer will receive the call from Boston.

With the recent loss of first baseman Triston Casas to a season-ending injury, the suggestion has been raised that the Red Sox could bring Mayer up to fill that spot. ESPN’s Buster Olney took an anonymous poll of several front office representatives, scouts and other staffers from around MLB, and putting Mayer at first base for the rest of the season was a popular option.

“He’s athletic enough to do it,” one staffer said, “and he’d hold down the position offensively. You’d have some growing pains on defense, but he’s played on the right side of the infield before [at second] and he would hit enough to make it work.”

Marcelo Mayer Expected to Get Called Up to Boston in 2025

Despite the current presence of veteran Trevor Story at the shortstop position for the Red Sox, the general consensus is that Mayer has nothing left to prove at Triple-A and will arrive at Boston sooner rather than later. However, what will be his long-term position in the major leagues? Could he be Boston’s third baseman of the future?

As part of Bleacher Report’s MLB 30 in ’30 series, where the publication gazes into the crystal ball to list the top players in each position for the 2030 season, Reuter forecasts that “one of the best prospects in baseball” is on a path to become the top player at the hot corner in the entire league.

“While he has good hands, he lacks the quick-twitch athleticism generally associated with the shortstop position, and his 6’3″ frame and strong arm would be a clean fit at third base,” Reuter wrote.

Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson