Mayer brings Fenway to Futures Game cleats -- dirt and all
Daniel Kramer
@DKramer_SEATTLE -- Marcelo Mayer hasn¡¯t yet played at Fenway Park, but he already views the iconic ballpark as part of his baseball identity.?
MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 4 overall prospect?donned custom cleats with Fenway Park¡¯s Green Monster scoreboard across the outer exterior during Saturday¡¯s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in Seattle. The most unique component, however, was that the Nike swoosh featured dirt from Boston¡¯s historic stadium, which was made possible by Custom Stadium Kicks.
¡°They asked me what I wanted for cleats, and I wanted something a little flashy,¡± Mayer said. ¡°Dude, I can¡¯t believe they put Fenway dirt on the swoosh. ... They killed it. They reached out to me last week and it was a quick text. And then we ended up getting it done. It¡¯s crazy how many cleats they get in that short of a period.¡±
But that was only his left shoe. Mayer grew up in Chula Vista, Calif., just outside San Diego, and his right cleat was a nod to his hometown with a bright teal look. The hope was to use sand from the beaches in Southern California within that shoe¡¯s swoosh, but the turnaround time was too tight.?
¡°I wanted to be a little flashy today and stand out with two different color cleats. It expresses who I am in a way, being from San Diego and hopefully playing at Fenway one day.¡±
Mayer certainly showed that he knows his target audience of Red Sox fans, but he also doesn¡¯t forget where he comes from.?
¡°I love the organization and what they¡¯ve done and their development,¡± Mayer said. ¡°It was awesome today. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever played in front of this many people in my entire life. Just to share this moment with all these players, all these guys, it¡¯s really cool.¡±
Mayer ripped a 100.3 mph single in his lone at-bat on Saturday, which represented the game¡¯s first hit, then he stole second base. The American League lost to the National League, 5-0.