The Baltimore Orioles youth movement will continue next season as a top prospect hopes for better results in his second try at the Majors.
Coby Mayo made his MLB debut last season, but went just 4-for-41 at the plate. While those numbers aren’t great, it shouldn’t be cause for concern for the Orioles. His minor league numbers were elite and he is still one of the best offensive prospects in all of baseball.
MLB prospect analysts Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra looked around each team’s minor league systems for a stat that stands out. For Baltimore, it was Mayo’s stellar OPS in the minors last year.
The 23-year-old’s full slash line from the minor leagues, mostly Triple-A with a couple of rehab games at High-A, was .293/.372/.592 with 25 home runs and 74 RBI over 93 games.
He already has 82 career home runs as a professional in just four years. Since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB draft, he has not taken any time to get adjusted.
With Samuel Basallo not far behind him in the rankings, Mayo still owns the top spot in the pipeline for the Orioles. He is the No. 8 overall prospect in baseball.
Over his 17 games on the MLB roster last year, he posted just a .098/.196/.098 slash line. He didn’t drive in any runs and only hit singles.
Stumbling out of the gate in the big leagues has unfortunately become somewhat of a trend for Baltimore, as Jackson Holliday had similar struggles.
Over Holliday’s first 13 games, he had just two more plate appearances than Mayo did. The shortstop only did slightly better at 5-of-44 with a home run.
The Orioles will need both of those young players to come into their own next season if they want to make another big jump as a squad.
It is currently unclear how Mayo will exactly fit into the lineup next year, though, and he could even start the season in the minors.
Ryan O’Hearn, who split time between DH and first, was one of the hitters that struggled the most over the last two months of the season. He is also entering his last year of team control.
That’s a role that could be won by the youngster and it would even open up the potential for a trade involving O’Hearn at the deadline.
