Mayo shifting narratives with glove, hit tool in spring

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Coby Mayo possesses two tools that rank as the best in Baltimore’s farm system: his 65-grade power and his 70-grade arm. But it’s two other tools in the 22-year-old’s skill set that have had everybody at the Orioles’ big league camp raving for the past month.

First, there’s Mayo’s pure ability with the bat. His hit tool may have a 45 grade, but MLB Pipeline’s No. 30 overall prospect is doing everything he can to raise that after hitting .290 in 140 games across the two upper levels of the Minors last year. Now, he’s hitting .323 over his first 14 Grapefruit League games this spring.

• Box score: Orioles 12, Rays 8

“It’s nothing new for the guys that played with him,” said Heston Kjerstad, baseball’s No. 32 overall prospect who roomed with Mayo when they were Double-A Bowie teammates last year. “Honestly, I think he’s a better hitter this spring. He’s starting to use the opposite side of the field a lot more and, man, when he’s going oppo with it, with his pull-side power, it’s pretty unstoppable for him.”

Then, there’s Mayo’s glovework. His 45-grade fielding tool has led to a lot of speculation that his long-term future may not be at third base, but rather first or a corner outfield role. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound native of Coral Springs, Fla., spent the winter trying to silence that narrative.

“That’s the biggest thing, is trying to prove to them that I can play defense and that my glove can get to where my bat is,” said Mayo, Baltimore’s No. 4 prospect.

All of Mayo’s tools -- the ones that have long been impressive and those showing huge improvement this spring -- will be on display Thursday night on a national stage. He’s among three Top 100 prospects from the Orioles’ top-ranked farm system who will be playing in the seven-inning Spring Breakout exhibition vs. Pirates prospects at LECOM Park in Bradenton.

The Spring Breakout showcase between the O’s and the Bucs will air live on MLB Network and across MLB’s digital platforms, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

Expect to see exciting at-bats by Mayo, who recorded 45 doubles and 29 homers between his stints with Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie last season. He’s 10-for-31 with five doubles and a homer so far this spring.

“The bat’s going to play, and he’s going to be a good hitter,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I’m more impressed about his defense. The strides he’s made defensively at third base -- massive strides since last year.”

A fourth-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Mayo’s defensive improvement can be traced back to the ‘22 season. While working with Roberto Mercado (High-A Aberdeen’s manager at the time), Mayo was instructed to lower his arm slot on throws.

Mayo has a big arm, and the lowered slot helps with his throwing accuracy, which remains a work in progress. As he continues to get reps, he’s showing he could have future success as a big-bodied third baseman (similar to others such as Atlanta’s Austin Riley).

“Seeing him last year, I think there were a lot of question marks for everybody that watched it. Seeing him this year, you see a path forward,” said third-base coach Tony Mansolino, who works with O’s infielders. “We look at it, and we see the progress, I think it gives us a lot of hope. He's come a long way.”

Even though Mayo is having a strong showing in his second big league camp, he’s a longshot to break camp with the Orioles. There’s a logjam of talented infielders, especially at third base, where Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías are all expected to get starts again this year.

Mayo is aware of the tough competition and realizes he can’t control the roster situation.

“You come into camp preparing to do everything you can for them to make a tough decision,” Mayo said. “Whether that’s going back to Triple-A or making the team, I just want to do everything I can to give myself an opportunity.”

At some point, Mayo will get his first chance at the big leagues -- possibly even later this year. When that time arrives, he should have plenty of success -- and those who have been around him in Spring Training are confident in that.

“Man, I think he’s got a pretty high ceiling, because he’s got some ridiculous power and he’s really young,” Kjerstad said. “We’ll find out one day, but I think he’s got a pretty bright future in front of him.”