Marcelo Mayer Boston Red Sox Shortstop/Infield

       
 
Age: 22
Born: December 12, 2002
Birthplace: Chula Vista, CA
Height: 6-3
Weight: 190
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
   
Drafted: 1st round, 2021 by BOS
How Acquired: Draft
College: (USC commit)
High School: Eastlake (CA)
ETA: Now

Photo © Kelly O'Connor
Marcelo Mayer photos by Kelly O'Connor
Pronunciation: mar-SELL-oh MY-er
First Pro Contract: July 22, 2021 (BOS)
Signing Scout: JJ Altobelli
Signing Bonus: $6,664,000
Rule 5 Draft Eligible: N/A
MLFA Eligible: N/A
   
Pro Debut: August 5, 2021 (FCL)
Added to 40-man: May 24, 2025 (BOS)
MLB Debut: May 24, 2025 (BOS)
Service Time (1/25): 0 days
Options Remaining: 3 (0 used)
Contract (2025): $760,000
   
Twitter: @Marcelo_Mayer10
Instagram: @marcelomayer_10

 
 
 
 
 
     
  Scouting Report & Links      
         
  Physical Description: Tall, medium frame. Loose and projectable with room to add strength as he physically matures. Looks the part.

Hit: Starts open and vertical with his hands high. Quiet load with a very short leg lift. Fluid swing with solid feel for hit. Quick hands. Above-average bat speed. Impressive bat control. Ball jumps off his bat. Has already shown the ability to turn on velocity. Will use all fields and does not try to do too much at the plate. Needs to tighten up his approach, as he chases at a high rate. Needs to improve pitch recognition, especially against breaking balls. Some questions about how his contact skills will translate against more advanced pitching. Seems to struggle to pick the ball up against left-handed pitchers and has had considerable platoon splits throughout his career. Potential above-average hit tool.

Power: Plus raw power. Strong for his frame with good extension in his swing. Has already shown the ability to drive the ball in the air to all fields. Needs to add some strength, and if he does, will turn doubles in the gap into home runs. Potential for above-average game power at his peak.

Run: Below-average speed. Good instincts, but not a burner. Will play faster than his foot speed because of how he reads the game.

Field: Instinctual defender with fluid actions. Looks like he is gliding on the field. Soft hands and solid footwork. Moves well and has plenty of range for shortstop. Confident defender; will take a flashy infield. Some long-term concerns about his ability to stick at shortstop as he matures. Organization appeared poised to get him some reps at third base midway through 2024, but injuries, including the one that eventually ended his season after July 30, effectively scuttled those plans. Potential above-average defender at short for the foreseeable future.

Arm: Plus arm, plenty for shortstop. Confident in his arm and able to make all the throws with plenty of zip.
  Career Notes: Was seen as the consensus top prospect in the 2021 MLB Draft but fell to the Red Sox with the fourth pick. First caught the attention of scouts while playing with Twins 2019 first-round pick Keoni Cavaco. Switch hit when he was young, but decided to focus on hitting left-handed after the eighth grade. Played with and against Red Sox 2022 first-round pick Mikey Romero in high school and on the travel circuit. Was committed to USC before signing. Participated in the 2021 Fall Performance Program. Entered 2022 season as a consensus top 20 prospect. Missed most of a period of about a month in April/May 2022 due to a wrist sprain. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was canceled due to Hurricane Ian. Entered 2023 as a consensus top 10 prospect in the game. Suffered a shoulder injury on a slide on May 7, 2023, and while he only missed a week, the injury bothered him until he was placed on the injured list in early August, missing the rest of the season. Splits from before and after the injury were drastic, and it is likely the injury affected his performance. Participated in the Red Sox Rookie Development Programs in January 2024 and January 2025. Prospect stock slid some entering 2024, but was still seen as a consensus top 30 or so prospect as part of the “Big 3” with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel. Started in 2024 Spring Breakout game. After a strong start to the season, missed a few games near the end of July and had a short IL stint with what was originally understood to be a hip injury. He was promoted to Worcester with Anthony and Teel on August 13, but did not play again the rest of the season, as the injury was eventually diagnosed as a lumbar strain. Was still seen as a top 30 prospect in the game by most outlets entering the 2025 season. Received a non-roster invitation to MLB Spring Training in 2025 and was one of the most impressive players in camp. Started in both the 2025 Spring Breakout and Futures at Fenway South games, homering in the former.

Summation: Potential above-average regular. Ceiling of a regular all-star. Has all the tools you look for in a future everyday shortstop and the offensive upside to hit at the top of a contending team's lineup. Looks like the game comes easily to him. Complete profile on both sides of the ball gives him an all-star ceiling, but development has been somewhat slowed by long-term injuries in each of the last three seasons, also raising the question of whether he can stay healthy over the course of a full season. Game comes easy to him. Potential for four above-average-or-better tools. Should be able to stick at shortstop for the foreseeable future and hit for average with power. Platoon and chase concerns hold hit tool back, and when combined with injury question marks, gives him a wider range of outcomes than you would expect and a decent number of questions to answer for such a highly regarded prospect.

Links
Red Sox Select Marcelo Mayer with the Fourth Pick (7.11.21)
Countdown to Spring Training (3.15.2023)
Spring Training Video (3.17.2023)
Spring Training Video (3.18.2023)

Notes from the Field (3.18.2025)
 
   
     
    Hitting Stats                                          
  year team lg level org age g ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb bb so sb cs avg obp slg ops
2018 Eastlake HS HS --- 15 3 9 1 4 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 4 --- 0.444 0.444 0.444 0.888
  2019 Eastlake HS HS --- 16 8 23 8 6 3 0 0 4 9 2 3 5 --- 0.261 0.414 0.391 0.805
  2020 Eastlake HS HS --- 17 6 17 7 5 2 0 3 6 16 31 8 1 --- 0.294 0.429 0.941 1.370
  2021 Eastlake HS HS --- 18 34 97 46 38 6 0 14 45 86 31 8 18 --- 0.392 0.555 0.886 1.442
  2021 FCL Red Sox FCL Rk Bos 18 26 91 25 25 4 1 3 17 40 15 27 7 1 0.275 0.377 0.440 0.817
2022 Salem Red Sox Car A Bos 19 66 252 46 72 26 1 9 40 127 51 78 16 0 0.286 0.406 0.504 0.910
2022 Greenville Drive SAL A+ Bos 19 25 98 15 26 4 1 4 13 44 17 29 1 0 0.265 0.379 0.449 0.828
2023 Greenville Drive SAL A+ Bos 20 35 145 23 42 11 1 7 34 76 17 37 5 2 0.290 0.366 0.524 0.890
2023 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 20 43 169 20 32 8 1 6 20 60 15 49 4 3 0.189 0.254 0.355 0.609
2024 Portland Sea Dogs East AA Bos 21 77 300 60 92 28 0 8 38 144 30 66 13 2 0.307 0.370 0.480 0.850
2024 Worcester Red Sox IL AAA Bos 21     DNP - Injured                    
2025 Worcester Red Sox IL AAA Bos 22     stats                            
  2025 Boston Red Sox AL MLB Bos 22     stats                            
   
     
  Advanced Stats & Splits
   
     
  Awards   SoxProspects.com Awards  
  2021 Perfect Game All-American
Carolina League Player of the Week (June 27 - July 3, 2022)
2022 Carolina League Full-Season All-Star, DH
South Atlantic League Player of the Week (May 1-7, 2023)
2023 Futures Game All-Star
2024 Futures Game All-Star
2024 Eastern League Season-End All-Star
International League Player of the Week (April 21-27, 2025)
  2022 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star
SoxProspects.com Player of the Week (June 27 - July 3, 2021)
2022 SoxProspects.com All-Star
2023 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star
SoxProspects.com  Player of the Week (May 1-7, 2023)
2024 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star 
2024 SoxProspects.com All-Star 
2025 SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star 
SoxProspects.com  Player of the Week (April 21-27, 2025)
 
   

   
     
 
 
 
     
 
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