Crimson Sox
Past Marcelo Mayer, the Sea Canine boast two different top-100-ranked prospects on their roster.
PORTLAND, Maine — Hadlock Discipline stands simply 107 miles away from Fenway Park.
For a lot of prime prospects who’ve risen by way of the Crimson Sox group, the Sea Canine’ ballpark stands as one of many remaining stops on the best way to stardom.
Such a sentiment is validated by the array of jerseys lined atop the suites and press field that anchors the highest of the seating part on the 29-year-old stadium.
It’s a “who’s who” of Crimson Sox legends.
Betts. Bogaerts. Devers. Ellsbury.
Many abilities who routinely peppered the Inexperienced Monster at Fenway often received their first licks in in opposition to the same “Maine Monster” up in Portland.
Marcelo Mayer will look to be the newest in an extended line of Crimson Sox blue-chip prospects to make his mark in Portland en path to his path to the massive leagues.
However he might not be the one one on this present Sea Canine clubhouse.
Mayer, tabbed as MLB.com’s No. 5 prospect, will be the headliner on Portland’s roster this summer season. However the Sea Canine are additionally house to a different two top-100 prospects in baseball in second baseman Nick Yorke (No. 96, Baseball America) and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (No. 83, MLB.com).
“I really like these guys in there,” Mayer mentioned of his new teammates. “We had a very good factor happening within the clubhouse in spring coaching. So everybody’s household. So getting the decision up or becoming a member of a brand new membership was fairly simple and easy.”
Mayer, who turned a double play with Yorke on Tuesday evening in opposition to Akron, already has lots historical past with the second baseman.
“Cali boy too. So I performed in opposition to him rising up,” Mayer mentioned of Yorke. “So we’re fairly cool. Fairly tight.” … “And it’s not simply him, all of them. Like I mentioned, in spring coaching, all of us hang around.
“We’re all collectively on a regular basis. So it’s form of unhappy once we break camp, simply because we all know we’re not gonna see one another for a very long time. However having the ability to see these guys once more was cool.”
Yorke, 21, is within the midst of a powerful bounce-back marketing campaign with the Sea Canine. The 2020 first-round decide had a unbelievable begin to his professional profession in 2021, slashing .325/.412/.516 with 14 house runs and 62 RBI between Salem and Greenville.
A slew of accidents restricted Yorke to only 80 video games with Greenville in 2022, with the power-hitting infielder slashing .232/.303/.365.
However with a clear invoice of well being, Yorke has as soon as once more put himself on the radar of MLB prospect evaluators. Coming into Wednesday evening, Yorke was batting .287 with six house runs and 20 RBI over 44 video games with Portland.
If Yorke can proceed to push apart the 2022 season as an outlier, the Crimson Sox may have a really intriguing duo anchoring the center of their infield within the coming yr between him and Mayer.
“To see that this early, we’re extraordinarily pleased about that as a result of that’s most likely one of many greatest jumps you make, Excessive A to Double A,” Crimson Sox minor league hitting coordinator Lance Zawadzki advised The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier of Yorke. “Having the ability to rebound, having the ability to make that bounce and be doing what he’s doing, that’s nice. He has an opportunity to be an entire hitter.
“There’s large upside on the facility. Clearly, it’s nonetheless coming. This man has had a pure capacity to hit since we drafted him. I feel that was one of the vital interesting issues once we did get him.”
Mayer might need made his house debut with Portland on Tuesday evening, however the star of the night was Boston’s fellow top-100 prospect in Rafaela. Rafaela, now within the midst of a 12-game hitting streak, went 3-for-4 on the plate on Tuesday with three steals.
The 22-year-old Rafaela doubtless already has a path to the majors due to his plus protection, be it in middle area or at shortstop. However Rafaela has continued to point out indicators that he could be greater than only a utility piece on the subsequent stage.
He has torched the basepaths throughout his first full season with Portland, stealing 25 bases in his first 46 video games this yr. He set a brand new Crimson Sox group report by swiping six baggage in a single sport again in Could.
However after slugging 33 extra-base hits over 71 video games with Portland in 2022, Rafaela is batting .284 with 12 doubles, 4 house runs and 31 RBI over 46 video games in 2023. For the reason that begin of June, Rafaela is batting .455 with two doubles, one house run, 5 runs scored and 5 RBI.
Signed by Boston as a world free agent out of Curaçao in 2017, Rafaela may make a push for a promotion as much as Triple-A Worcester later this summer season.
In fact, most eyes will nonetheless be fixated on Mayer, who slugged his first Double-A house run on Wednesday evening in his second sport at Hadlock Discipline.
To this point, he’s slot in properly on a Sea Canine workforce already anchored with loads of high-end expertise.
“Very laid again,” Sea Canine supervisor Chad Epperson mentioned of Mayer’s method. “Our workforce motto is’ free and loaded.’ And that’s form of what he’s. He suits that profile excellent. , I imply, he’s very free, however he’s able to play each single day.”
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