Marcelo Mayer might move across the infield, if it means making the club
One of the top Red Sox prospects, who is also among the top prospects in all of baseball, could still break camp as the club's second baseman -- and it's not Kristian Campbell.
Technically, Campbell is one of the club's top prospects among the best in baseball and very much in the running for the starting second base job. However, also joining that mix is infielder Marcelo Mayer, who has been as advertised in his first full spring with the big club.
Mayer has arguably been the best of Boston's top three prospects, including Campbell and Roman Anthony, and he is also forcing the team's hand. In fact, even though he was drafted as a shortstop and has seen some time at third base, Mayer will get a crack at second base Wednesday in Grapefruit League action against Detroit (1 p.m. ET, NESN/NESN 360).
Mayer has already appeared in 14 games this spring for Boston, hitting .357 (10-for-28) with a home run, a triple and nine RBIs. He has also drawn three walks while striking out nine times, and his .955 OPS jumps off the page. Mayer has largely done it against decent competition for spring training with Baseball-Reference's opponent quality metric putting Mayer's opposition at a Triple-A level so far.
The Red Sox have just five Grapefruit League games remaining before they go to Mexico for a pair of exhibition games ahead of their season opener in Texas. With Opening Day on the horizon, Boston manager Alex Cora has started to roll out his presumed regular-season lineup with increasing frequency, and Wednesday will be no different -- with Mayer in the mix.
Cora insisted to reporters Wednesday morning that "everybody has a shot" to make the team, which is presumably why Mayer will get his look at second after two straight Campbell starts. The Red Sox manager also raved about Mayer's instincts both at the plate and on the basepaths.
"The baseball player is real," Cora said, per MLB.com's Ian Browne. "He's not just a prospect. He's a baseball player."
It's hard to get a more emphatic endorsement from the big league manager.
Red Sox fans can watch Mayer make his latest case to crack the Opening Day roster when Boston hosts the Tigers at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. NESN's coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET and can also be seen on NESN 360.