Coby Mayo might not be the headliner in Orioles camp, but he's certainly stealing the spotlight with his impressive performance. Batting a scorching .500 with a homer, three doubles, and 10 RBIs, Mayo's making a strong case at the plate. The real question buzzing around fans, media, and Baltimore's front office is whether Mayo can cement his place at third base, especially with Jordan Westburg out.
Last season, Mayo shifted to first base, but the signing of Pete Alonso shook things up. With Westburg and Jackson Holliday starting the year on the injured list, Mayo gets another shot to prove his worth at the hot corner.
Now, let's be real-nobody's putting Mayo in the Gold Glove conversation just yet. His defensive skills at third have been a work in progress this spring.
But there's undeniable potential in his bat. Last season, Mayo put up a .301/.393/.548 slash line with five homers in his final 24 games.
He's shown he can handle Triple-A pitching and looks ready for the majors.
The big question is how much playing time Mayo will see. That largely depends on his ability to handle third base regularly and how much the Orioles are willing to tolerate some defensive growing pains.
Looking at projections, ZiPS suggests Mayo could hit 22 homers with 70 RBIs if given regular playing time. However, ZiPS DC predicts fewer than 189 plate appearances for the 24-year-old.
Baseball Reference sees him with 352 at-bats, with homer and RBI totals landing somewhere in the middle. Both projections show similar slash lines, highlighting Mayo's potential impact if he gets the chance.