Elite Baltimore Orioles Prospect Changed Mechanics To Improve Defense
The Baltimore Orioles have plenty of players vying for a spot in the infield for the upcoming season.
Brandon Hyde revealed shortstop is the position that the reigning AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson will spend the majority of his time this year, opening up second and third base for the many others in the mix.
Among those are Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Ramon Urias, Jorge Mateo and Coby Mayo.
The Orioles seem to be wanting to use Mateo as a super utilityman this season, putting him in the outfield more often to utilize his speed.
Holliday now has a much clearer path to making the Opening Day roster at second base, while Westburg and Urias will likely battle it out for the starting third baseman role.
However, elite prospect Mayo is wanting to keep his name in the mix as well.
Rated as Baltimore's No. 4 player in their pipeline, he focused on changing his mechanics to become a much better defender at the hot corner with the hope he could man that position moving forward.
"Have worked some on my footwork and trying to be more athletic. And that arm angle is the biggest thing. Used to come a lot over the top and I have dropped down a little bit .... I think the angle where I was at over the top was not extremely accurate and I think over the last year I have found something working for me. The ball is more accurate and has good flight to it," he told Steve Melewski of MASN.
This would be a major development for Mayo.
He's been an elite hitter during his three seasons in the minors so far, posting a slash line of .279/.384/.523 with 57 home runs, 142 extra-base hits, and 209 RBI across 297 games.
The 22-year-old made it to Triple-A last year, playing in 62 games, but has yet to make his Major League debut.
Mayo seems to be one of their potential cornerstone pieces.
He is expected to be called-up at some point in 2024, but how soon that comes will be seen.
Improved defense will certainly help.
The Orioles plan on using multiple players across their infield like they did last season and his bat could force the coaching staff and front office to give him a real look at making the Opening Day roster.
So far, he's had seven hits, four of them doubles, with five RBI across 21 at-bats.
