The image was tantalizing.
Marcelo Mayer, just a few months out of high school, depositing a Nathan Eovaldi spring training fastball into the home bullpen at JetBlue Park.
Cart had already been put before the horse when it came to the Red Sox' 2021 first-round pick.
But both the player and organization knew this snapshot was nothing more than a late-March distraction. There was work to be done. Fortunately for all parties involved, Mayer continues to do his due diligence.
As was first reported by Chris Hatfield of Sox Prospects, Mayer has been promoted to High-A Greenville after a standout stint with Single-A Salem. Before getting the move up, the shortstop was hitting .286 with nine homers and a .910 OPS in 66 games, also going 16-for-16 in stolen base attempts.
So, naturally, as Mayer edges way up the ladder in the Red Sox' farm system, the conversation gets louder as to when his arrival in the big leagues might become a thing.
A name that keeps coming up when drawing a possible blueprint for Mayer is Kansas City infielder Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt Jr. was the second overall pick in the 2019 draft, coming straight out of Colleyville Heritage (TX) High. His entrance into the big leagues came when the then-21-year-old made the Royals' Opening Day roster for the 2022 season.
While it isn't exactly apples to apples considering Witt Jr. skipped Single-A due to the lost 2020 season (where he participated in the Royals' alternate training site), it could very well end up as a solid comparison.
Like Witt Jr., Mayer could very well start his second full professional season at Double-A. It was a level the Royals' prospect was hardly overwhelmed by, boasting a .939 OPS in 61 games before being promoted to Triple-A. He finished off last season with 63 games at Omaha (AAA), turning in almost identical numbers to his Double-A stint, finishing with a .933 OPS.
This season, Witt Jr. has more than held his own as a now-22-year-old, hitting .257 with a .752 OPS, 15 homers and 21 stolen bases.
This scenario, of course, would put Mayer in the big leagues for the start of the 2024 season. There is, however, another example involving a first-round high school shortstop that isn't quite as aggressive, but does place the Sox prospect in the majors that same year.
Corey Seager was taken with the 18th pick straight out of high school in 2012, spending his first full pro year in the same levels Mayer finds himself. But unlike Witt Jr., he began season No. 2 at high-A before being promoted to Double-A to finish off that year. It wasn't until his third full pro year that he navigated through Triple-A before finding his way to the Dodgers on Sept. 3, 2015.
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