Pilates, added strength boost Mayer¡¯s prospects for ¡®25

FORT MYERS, Fla. ¨C Marcelo Mayer, for a few years, was the prospect always mentioned first when it came to the Red Sox farm system. And for good reason. He was steadily ranked first year after year, following his selection as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 Draft.

In that respect, this Spring Training is a little bit different. There are a couple of other prospects who are drawing more buzz.

Roman Anthony is the No. 2 prospect in the game, as rated by MLB Pipeline. Kristian Campbell, who formed a double-play combination with Mayer for Friday¡¯s exhibition opener against Northeastern University, is in competition to break camp as the starting second baseman. Pipeline rates the impressive athlete and right-handed hitter No. 7 in its Top 100 rankings.

Then there is Mayer. It¡¯s not like he has gone away, as his No. 12 spot in the Top 100 and No. 3 ranking in Boston¡¯s farm system illustrates. Things are just a little quieter around the 22-year-old these days, and that doesn¡¯t bother him.

¡°I don't really care, to be honest,¡± Mayer said. ¡°All that is just noise outside of the field. I'm just here to get better every day, have a good time with my teammates. Obviously, the goal is to break camp and be a big leaguer. If that's not the case, it¡¯s just to get better every single day and be ready when they call me up.¡±

What will bother Mayer is if he has a third straight season shortened by injury. Mayer played 78 games in ¡®23 due to a left shoulder impingement and 77 last season due to a lumbar strain.

And that¡¯s why he spent his fall and winter in injury prevention mode.

Pilates became a big part of his offseason as he trained in his hometown of San Diego.

¡°It helped me a lot,¡± Mayer said. ¡°I feel super strong right now. It's one of the hardest workouts I've ever done.¡±

For the most part, 2024 was a good one for Mayer. Playing at Double-A Portland, he slashed .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight homers and 38 RBIs to go with 13 stolen bases. This, while playing strong defense at one of the most important positions in the field ¨C shortstop.

With veteran Trevor Story healthy again and slotted in to play shortstop for the Red Sox, Mayer will get time at second and third base this spring because versatility always makes a player more valuable and can speed up an arrival to the Major Leagues.

¡°Whatever it takes,¡± said Mayer. ¡°Whatever it takes to make it to the big leagues.¡±

Last year, Mayer got promoted to Triple-A Worcester on the same day as his two close friends, Anthony and Kyle Teel (traded in December for Garrett Crochet). But the tough part about that was he never got to play.

On July 30 ¨C in what wound up as his last game of the season for Portland ¨C Mayer took a swing and immediately knew he was in trouble.

¡°It felt like I got stabbed in my back,¡± Mayer said. ¡°We tried to take a little bit of downtime, tried to put me back in the games [at Triple-A]. And I could never really get back to full speed. It's always frustrating when you don't play. And I was put in a situation where I couldn't play anymore, and obviously it sucked, but it was definitely for the better. I did a lot of good rehab this offseason, so I¡¯m in a good spot.¡±

Quite literally, Mayer looks like he¡¯s in a good spot. He looks sturdier, and no longer like the boyish prospect he once was straight out of high school.

¡°I put on a few pounds,¡± said Mayer. ¡°I'm not really sure how many, but I definitely feel way stronger. Obviously, with age you get thicker, you get stronger. But yeah, I feel good.¡±

And the Red Sox still feel good about him, and the player he will become.

¡°Like I said towards the end of last season, we¡¯ve got to [keep] him on the field,¡± said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. ¡°That's the most important thing. And he looks really good. He plays the part. The way he moves at shortstop, the way he drives the ball to left-center. It¡¯s fun to watch. If we can keep him on the field, he's still one of the best prospects in baseball. Just talking to him, everything is baseball with him.¡±