Orioles Select ‘Left-Handed Hitting Coby Mayo’ in Recent MLB Mock Draft

The Baltimore Orioles are on the lookout for some more hitting as they prepare for next month’s MLB Draft.

Mar 11, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; A detailed view of Baltimore Orioles baseball hats and gloves in the dugout during the first inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Is Coby Mayo finally with the Baltimore Orioles to stay? Will that influence what the Orioles do with their first-round pick next month?

Mayo is back with the Major League club again after he was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on May 31. He’s been with the O’s since then, and while his bat still hasn’t quite come around yet at the MLB level, Baltimore has the room to give him some slack because of its horrid season.

In eight games this season he’s slashed .120/.185/.120 with an RBI. At some point, the O’s will have to commit or trade him to cash in on his value as one of Baltimore’s top prospects.

Mayo’s bat skills are undeniable — at the minor league level. Even with a lagging slash of .226/.318/.452 at Norfolk he has eight home runs and 28 RBI in 45 games.

So, what if Baltimore could get another version of him? Perhaps next month?

The Xavier Neyens-Coby Mayo Comparison

Recently, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo published his most recent first-round mock draft and had the Orioles selected third baseman Xavier Neyens at No. 19 overall. The prep star plays at Mount Vernon High School in Washington state.

This isn’t unfamiliar spot for Neyens. He’s been connected to the O’s in mock drafts recently. But Mayo’s comparison is intriguing.

“The Orioles like hitters -- both high school and college — with power, and Neyens fits the bill as maybe a left-handed-hitting version of Coby Mayo,” he wrote.

Neyens is catching attention for his raw power in high school, something that teams will want to harness once he gets into pro ball. If he is selected in the first round, he’s almost a certainty to sign.

Baltimore has done well with its first-round picks, going back to 2018.

Last year the Orioles selected outfielder Vance Honeycutt, who is already making progress in the system. In 2023 it was Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., who is seen as one of the fastest prospects in baseball and is playing at Double-A.

Jackson Holliday, Baltimore’s first-round pick in 2022 (No. 1 overall) is having a bounce-back campaign in his second season in the Majors. He reached the show less than two years after he was taken out of high school.

Previous to Holliday, Colton Cowser (2021), Heston Kjerstad (2020), Adley Rutschman (2019) and Grayson Rodriguez (2018) were all first-round picks and are all with the Orioles in the Majors.

The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.