Coby Mayo spent much of this decade carrying the kind of expectations that can weigh down even the best young hitters. The Orioles’ system was overflowing with talent, and Mayo arrived with the label of a former top prospect and a 2020 fourth-round Draft pick. But the jump from promise to production has taken longer than plenty around him once expected.
“It’s tough. The game is very unforgiving, and it’s a very tough league, especially when you’re young and coming up and you have these high expectations,” Mayo said.
“People think that you’re just going to hit the ground running and be an All-Star by year one or year two, and that’s just not realistic sometimes. Sometimes, it takes longer.
And I’m still figuring it out.”
Lately, though, the results have started to match the reputation. Entering Friday, Mayo had 22 home runs, tied for second on the Orioles and matching Gunnar Henderson.
Only Pete Alonso, with 34, had more. For Mayo, it marked the first time he’d reached 20 homers in an MLB season after totaling 11 across 102 games in 2024 and ‘25.
“It’s definitely a cool accomplishment,” Mayo said. “You don’t go into the year chasing numbers, but I think when the year plays out, you kind of see what’s going on, and it’s been really cool. It’s been a cool year for me, personally.”
The power is obvious, but that’s only part of what has made Mayo’s season stand out. The right-handed hitter has been especially punishing against lefties, slashing .319/.383/.741 in 149 plate appearances. His 16 homers off left-handed pitching lead MLB.
He’s had more trouble against right-handers, posting a .166/.234/.296 line in 244 plate appearances. Even so, there has been progress there too. Mayo homered off righties on Monday and Wednesday in Baltimore’s series win over the Guardians at Camden Yards.
His second-half surge tells the same story. Before the All-Star break, Mayo hit .193 with a .659 OPS in 74 games. Since then, he’s batting .274 with a .911 OPS over 44 contests.
“Early in the year, it’s tough. You’re trying to get off to a strong start,” Mayo said.
“Everyone always wants to hit .300 the first month, you’re trying to just start off hot, because it’s easier to play when you’re hitting really good than trying to play catch-up all year. Early in the year is also cold, and I’ve never been the best cold-weather hitter.
But I'm just happy that the results have been good recently.”
Those around him never doubted the bat. Dylan Beavers, whose locker sits next to Mayo’s in the Orioles’ home clubhouse, watched him hit in the Minors and expected the ability to show up in the majors sooner or later.
“I think last year, and the year before, he was really challenged,” Beavers said. “I’ve talked a lot about hitting and baseball in general with him, and I always knew he could really hit.
And he knew it. But you get faced with challenges, and that’s what makes you better.
I feel like he’s gone into full form. I’m not super surprised at all to see what he’s doing.
But it’s fun to watch. He hits the ball really hard.”
Craig Albernaz came into the job already knowing plenty about Mayo. Albernaz was the Guardians’ bench coach when Mayo made his MLB debut at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Aug. 2, 2024, and his profile made him easy to track.
“Coming in, I knew the power that Coby possessed,” Albernaz said. “It’s kind of well known.”
What Albernaz has seen this year goes beyond the long ball. He’s pointed to Mayo’s ability to use the whole field and praised the way the corner infielder has handled work at third base or first base, depending on what Baltimore needs.
“You can kind of see the evolution of Coby now. He’s a little more upright in his setup and utilizing his skill set more, which he does great,” Albernaz said. “Of all the players in that clubhouse, I think Coby’s the one I’m most proud of.”
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