Assuming he starts the year at AAA, how would you utilize Coby Mayo?

[CaptainRedbeard]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

I'd still have him at 3B since most 3B skills translate to 1B. Would be good to get him some 1B and RF experience too. Still some uncertainty depending on whether Basallo is primary 1B or C, and there are always injuries, slumps, etc.

2025 depth chart looks something like:

1B: Mountcastle, Mayo, Basallo (Kjerstad? Stowers?)

2B: Holliday, Westburg, Norby

SS: Gunnar, Holliday

3B: Mayo, Westburg, Horvath

RF: Kjerstad, Stowers, Mayo

Agree with this. If Mayo and Westburg are here, there’s only so much 2B/3B/SS to go around so Mayo is probably going to play a fair bit of 1B even if he is still playing 3B. Maybe he or Westburg will play OF too, but at this point that will probably a next offseason consideration if Mayo looks like a legit 3B this season. Mayo can stay concentrating on 3B but mix in enough 1B to make him an option there.  

Plus, long term 1B is one of the easiest positions to find a guy outside the organization who can give you ~1 WAR pretty cheaply. Very hard to find really good 1B but easy to find those replacement level or slightly better types. High level true 1B prospects are pretty rare. If you’re going to have one position that isn’t covered by a prospect, that’s by far the best one. 

[waroriole]

4 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

Just measure it. Go to Google maps, find a baseball park, and measure from normal third positioning and the normal short. Third to first is something like 135 feet, short is something like 125 feet. The outfield grass at deepest short is something like 145', while the third base line/grass mark is about 155'.

Sure, you can find places a third baseman needs to cover that are closer than some places a shortstop needs to cover. But I think it's clear an average throw from third is longer than an average throw from short. 

At SS, in the hole, your momentum is taking you away from 1B. Also, how often is someone making a throw from 3B at the line/grass mark?

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, waroriole said:

At SS, in the hole, your momentum is taking you away from 1B. Also, how often is someone making a throw from 3B at the line/grass mark?

I’d guess that 3B field balls deep on their backhand side about the same percentage of their plays that shortstops do.  It only makes sense that they are positioning themselves so that there’s about an equal chance of going left or right.   Maybe not towards the end of the game if the team is in a “no doubles” defense.  

Of course, shortstops handle more chances, period.  So in absolute terms, they handle more deep backhanders than 3B do.  
 

[waroriole]

40 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I’d guess that 3B field balls deep on their backhand side about the same percentage of their plays that shortstops do.  It only makes sense that they are positioning themselves so that there’s about an equal chance of going left or right.   Maybe not towards the end of the game if the team is in a “no doubles” defense.  

Of course, shortstops handle more chances, period.  So in absolute terms, they handle more deep backhanders than 3B do.  
 

With 3B it’s more of a reaction, and not having to run to your right to catch a grounder, so your momentum shouldn’t be carrying you away from 1B. 

[Frobby]

10 minutes ago, waroriole said:

With 3B it’s more of a reaction, and not having to run to your right to catch a grounder, so your momentum shouldn’t be carrying you away from 1B. 

 

[ThisIsBirdland]

 

[Sports Guy]

 

[forphase1]

I'm sold.   Holliday at 2nd, Gunnar SS, Mayo 3rd, Westburg super utility spelling at 2nd/3rd as needed,  all 4 sharing starts through the week.   Mateo/Urias off the roster.   Make it happen.   

[The B&G]

7 minutes ago, forphase1 said:

I'm sold.   Holliday at 2nd, Gunnar SS, Mayo 3rd, Westburg super utility spelling at 2nd/3rd as needed,  all 4 sharing starts through the week.   Mateo/Urias off the roster.   Make it happen.   

Coming into ST I didn't think there was a chance in hell this happens, but after the way Mayo has played...he's almost forced the issue. Trade Urias for a relief pitcher and make it happen

[AnythingO's]

17 minutes ago, forphase1 said:

I'm sold.   Holliday at 2nd, Gunnar SS, Mayo 3rd, Westburg super utility spelling at 2nd/3rd as needed,  all 4 sharing starts through the week.   Mateo/Urias off the roster.   Make it happen.   

I agree re: the infield rotation but keep Mateo as backup SS and CF so no 5th OF is needed. Move Urias and O'Hearn, Hicks is gone already. Lets you keep both Kjerstad and Cowser in a similar 4-man OF rotation

[rm5678]

39 minutes ago, The B&G said:

Coming into ST I didn't think there was a chance in hell this happens, but after the way Mayo has played...he's almost forced the issue. Trade Urias for a relief pitcher and make it happen

Yes, I've been thinking for a while that Urias should be traded for a relief pitcher. There's not much point in keeping him on the roster any more.

[Explosivo]

My only thinking is, if you bring along Mayo, he has to play every day or nearly every day or it’s a waste. I think he’s ready now, but he is still quite young and you don’t want to burn a year of service time for him to platoon or play sparingly at third. Unfortunately, or fortunately for depth reasons, I think we will see a similar situation to how Westburg was brought up slowly, having Adam Frazier be that stop gap to start the year. Urias still has value and he’s a known quantity at the big league level. No need to bring up Mayo and have him struggle for the first half when you can ride Urias for that stretch and bring Mayo up later in the year to not burn a year and set up next year as his ROTY campaign. It’s a good problem when you have too much talent.

[Hank Scorpio]

Well he’s definitely had a hell of a showing thus far. 

We’ve got too much talent 

To start the year, we’re probably gonna have five/six guys at Norfolk who would start on 75% of MLB teams in Norby, Holliday, Mayo and Kjerstad/Cowser/Stowers. 

What an age we live in.

[Say O!]

From Roch’s blog this morning.

Quote

Hyde has referenced Mayo's improved defense multiple times this spring. He did it again last night.

"I know the bat's going to play and he's going to be a good hitter," Hyde said. "I'm more impressed by his defense. The strides he's made defensively at third base, massive strides since last year. That's exciting for me.

"We've got to be able to play good defense and he's really worked hard at it and made huge strides at it."

Said Mayo: "I think that's the biggest thing is trying to prove to them that I can play defense and that my glove can get to where my bat is. I've worked really hard over the past few years and especially offseason was a lot of hard work after the season ended, got right back on the field and just try to do what I can to get to where I am right now."

Mayo worked on being more of an athlete, moving better, being quicker. And he needed to find an arm slot that made his throws more accurate, which led to sessions with infield coordinator Tim DeJean.

"We made huge strides and I'm really happy where I'm at right now," Mayo said, "but there's obviously still a lot of work to do."

Sounds like Hyde and O’s brass starting to see Mayo as viable future 3B in terms of defense.

Edited March 7 by Say O!

[The Goob]

Mayo's size and foot speed would seem to indicate that long term his best fit may be at first.  Given that Henderson, Holliday, Westburg and even Norby will likely hold down short, second and third this is for the best.  Mayo real value is his bat and his power and it plays best at first.  Out of all our prospect he and Basallo best fit the profile of the typical 1B/ DH type.