Aug. 2: The Os formally announced Mayos promotion. Infielder was optioned to Norfolk to open a spot on the active roster. Baltimores 40-man roster is now at capacity. Aug. 1: Top prospect is joining the Orioles, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com ( ). The 22-year-old will be making his MLB debut. Mayo is not yet on the 40-man roster but the Os have an opening, so theyll only need to make a corresponding active roster transaction. Baltimore took Mayo out of high school in the fourth round of the truncated 2020 draft. He signed for an above slot $1.75MM bonus and has ripped through minor league pitching at every level. The 65, 230-pound corner infielder had pushed his way towards the top of a loaded Os system by the start of the 2022 campaign. He had good but not elite numbers as a 20-year-old between High-A and Double-A that season. A monster showing in the upper minors last year vaulted Mayo to the top of the overall league prospect rankings. He hit .307/.424/.603 with 17 homers in 78 games for Double-A Bowie. The Os bumped him to Triple-A Norfolk late last season. Mayo responded with an excellent .267/.393/.512 slash acro s 62 contests. Mayo entered the year as a top 30 minor league talent in the eyes of most evaluators. He has done all he can to reinforce that acclaim with another excellent year in Norfolk. Mayo has popped 20 homers over 335 plate appearances. Hes hitting .294/.370/.581 with a strong 10.1% walk rate. While his 24.5% strikeout percentage is a bit higher than average, its not a major concern for one of the best power-hitting prospects in the league. The righty-hitting Mayo is tied for fourth in the International League in home runs. Among 83 hitters with 300+ plate appearances, he leads the league in slugging percentage. Mayo is 10th among that group in average and 25th in on-base percentage despite being one of the leagues youngest hitters Brice Turang Jersey . Mayo ranks as the sports #12 prospect at and . ranked Mayo 18th on his recent update of the sports top 60 prospects. All three outlets have him as either the #2 or #3 player in the Baltimore system. Hes behind and alongside catcher at the top of an organization that is still loaded with high-end young talent. BA and FanGraphs each credit Mayo with 70-grade power (plus-plus) on the 20-80 scouting scale. FanGraphs writes that Mayo could be susceptible to strikeouts early in his MLB career, but evaluators generally feel he shouldnt have any problem getting to his impact power while drawing plenty of walks. Mayos defense is more of a question. He has played exclusively on the corner infield in his minor league career. The vast majority of that experience has come at third base. Most scouting reports peg him as a fringe-average defender there despite excellent arm strength. FanGraphs report suggests Mayo may be best suited moving off the position to right field, but the Os have not given him any outfield work in the minors. Hell break into the majors as a third baseman. Baltimore lost to a yesterday. The Os have yet to provide a clear timeline on the All-Stars return, yet hes certainly in for a lengthy absence. Baltimore played at the hot corner today. With Uras hitting a league average .244/.318/.381 in 195 plate appearances, theyll turn to Mayo in the hope that the youngster provides above-average offense right out of the gate. Thats no guarantee for any prospect, as Hollidays struggles after his first big league call demonstrated early in the season. Yet theres nothing more for Mayo to prove in the minors, as he now owns a .283/.380/.552 slash with 36 doubles and 32 homers in 602 career Triple-A plate appearances (the equivalent of one full season). Mayo would probably have gotten a look by now if he were in most other organizations. The Os have such an impre sive collection of infielders that they could afford to wait for him to comprehensively dominate minor league pitching. Baltimore fans can dream on a future infield comprising Mayo, Holliday, and Westburg from right to left. For now, Mayo will stick at the hot corner with and continuing to share first base and designated hitter. Uras should kick into a utility role which could bump recent trade pickup to Norfolk. Barring a herculean start to his MLB career that earns him a top two finish in Rookie of the Year balloting, Mayo will not get a full service year this season. The Os control him through at least the 2030 campaign; he wont reach arbitration until the 2027-28 offseason. If Baltimore options him back to the minors at any point, that could delay his path to arbitration and free agency. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports. Teddy Higuera Jersey
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