Something has settled in for Coby Mayo this season, and the numbers against left-handed pitching make it impossible to ignore.
Entering play on Sept. 11, the Orioles corner infielder was hitting .319/.383/.741 with 16 home runs and 33 RBIs in 149 plate appearances against lefties. At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Mayo has turned into one of the toughest outs in the sport when a southpaw is on the mound.
What’s made the run even more notable is the way it has built on itself. Mayo said the early signs showed up by early May, then the production really took off in June and July. Every barrel and every hard-hit ball seemed to reinforce the same thing: the at-bat was starting before the pitcher even delivered.
“Now, versus lefties, I’m just going up there feeling like you can’t get me out,” Mayo said. “It’s obviously a great mentality to have versus anybody. When you have success, there’s confidence, and confidence goes a long way.”
That confidence has become a real weapon, but Mayo is careful not to let it turn into pressure. He knows there’s a line between believing in what he’s doing and feeling like he has to come through every time simply because the track record says he should.
“Sometimes when you think about it too much, you can start thinking that you have to hit them,” Mayo said. “So, [I’m] trying to put a plan together and trust that when I get up to the plate.”
The challenge has shifted as the league has adjusted. Left-handers are no longer likely to attack him in the same way, and Mayo understands he’s going to see more careful pitching now that his damage against them is out in the open. That has put a premium on discipline and on waiting for pitches in the middle of the plate.
“If you start chasing something, they’re just going to try to keep doing that,” Mayo said. “Guys like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, they don’t have many weaknesses.
They don’t have many cold spots in the zone. So, they just try nibbling and try to get them out with a full kitchen sink.”
The matchup itself also lines up well for Mayo’s right-handed bat. Against lefties, the high-spin breaking stuff - especially sliders and curveballs - moves toward him, while fastballs, sinkers and changeups tend to move away. Mayo said those lower-spin pitches can be easier to pick up out of the hand.
“They’re low-spin, so you can pick them up a little easier than, say, a slider because you see the low spin on the ball and you’re able to just pick it up a little bit better,” Mayo said.
It’s a different story against right-handers, where the breaking balls move away from him and create more chase opportunities. The down-and-away slider has become a major focus for Mayo and the Orioles’ hitting staff, with the emphasis on recognizing it earlier and doing more damage on the pitches that actually fit his swing.
Even with all that work, Mayo isn’t interested in changing who he is in the box. He doesn’t alter his setup or his swing based on the pitcher’s handedness. For him, it comes back to trusting his eyes and keeping the approach clean.
“When you start thinking too much, you’re helping them out already,” Mayo said. “So I like to just go in there with a free mind and just kind of stick to my plan and take my at-bat.”
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