The Orioles announced this afternoon that they’ve optioned top infield prospect Coby Mayo to minor league camp. He’ll open the season at Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore also reassigned non-roster invitees Samuel Basallo, Daz Cameron, Nick Gordon, Corbin Martin, Levi Stoudt and Thaddeus Ward to minor league camp.
Mayo, 23, has played parts of two seasons in Triple-A. He’s a .279/.376/.543 hitter in 151 career games at that level. He expressed some disappointment with the move. “It obviously sucks because you feel like you’ve proven everything you’ve needed to (in the minors),” he told reporters (including Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner). “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough. Obviously, you go back there and if you have success, it’s ’oh he’s supposed to have success because he’s already proven it,’ and if he doesn’t have success, it’s ’well obviously he’s fallen off.’ It’s kind of a lose-lose going to Norfolk.”
Manager Brandon Hyde said the move is a testament to Baltimore’s infield depth. “Good teams option players that they like,” Hyde said (via Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Banner). “More reps at Triple-A, we feel like that’s what he needs right now.”
While it’s understandable that Mayo feels he doesn’t have much more to show against minor league pitching, the Orioles weren’t likely to carry him on the Opening Day roster. He appeared in 17 major league games last season, hitting .098 while striking out 22 times in 46 plate appearances. He had a similarly poor camp, batting .190 with 13 strikeouts and no homers over 46 trips to the dish.
Mayo drilled 22 homers in 89 Triple-A contests last year. He has huge power and draws plenty of walks. There’ll be a lot of strikeouts, but Mayo has a shot to hit in the middle of the lineup at his peak. The O’s aren’t going to want him sitting on the MLB bench. Ramón Urías and (once healthy) Jorge Mateo are better fits for utility roles. Mayo isn’t going to play over Jordan Westburg at third base. The O’s have Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn and backup catcher Gary Sánchez lined up for the majority of reps between first base and designated hitter. Mayo could theoretically push Mountcastle for playing time at first base, but the latter is an established above-average hitter who is having a monster spring.
The infield depth has made Mayo the subject of some trade speculation, but it’s rare for teams to deal away prospects of that caliber. He still has two option years remaining (including this one), so there’s no pressing roster consideration. O’Hearn and Sánchez will be free agents next offseason. Mountcastle has two seasons of arbitration control remaining. There should be a clearer path for Mayo (and Basallo) to break camp in 2026. For now, it’ll probably require injuries to players above him on the depth chart to get everyday reps in the big leagues.
I remember when his brother OJ was supposed to be the next big thing.
OJ would have been a multiple time all star but had a problem the league wouldn’t put up with any longer
Tough look to say this publicly given what he put up this spring. Gotta read the room.
Yeah, not like he was killing it or even playing average.
Spring training stats are meaningless. He’s proven he’s ready from his minor league record. This is about service time manipulation. Plain and simple.
Not at age 23
This is about service time manipulation. Plain and simple.
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Nonsense. If they wanted to manipulate service time, they wouldn’t have promoted him last year.
Agreed, @JoeBrady.
@bob99, peddle your tin foil conspiracies somewhere else.
What yall are saying is that every one of the players on the 13 man hitting side of the roster are better than him. that’s a lie.
From his numbers in AAA and ST, sounds like he’s a AAAA player right now.
Put the money where your mouth is: which of those 13 players is Mayo clearly “better than”?
Tin foil, how original of you.
It’s partly service time manipulation, and partly the O’s love affair with mediocre players like Urias, Mateo, Mountcastle, and O’Hearn.
No, he’s not ready for MLB. He just strikes out.
If he’s tired of being in AAA then he should improve on hitting mlb pitching.
It is hard to improve on hitting MLB pitching from AAA, in his defense.
Honestly, his defense is the bigger issue right now. He has no position that he can play at an acceptable MLB level, so he needs to get steady, everyday reps at 1B at Norfolk so he can potentially be more than a DH.
Definitely sounds like some trade bait for a starter like Dylan Cease.
Padres and everyone else see the same flaws. Basallo or a guy on their roster would have been a headliner demand.
I like his swing, he has a big power, I think he is one of those players who expects a lot because he has that type of talent, hard on himself when the going is rough, or when he feels like he is losing in a way, which can be a bad trait to have but if he gets past it, his swing is sweet. Unsure about his defense, but he profiles at 3B and 1B, I’d trade for him.
The Os wouldn’t trade Basallo for Tarik Skubal much less a rental like Cease. The Padres aren’t getting more for Cease than the Brewers got for Burnes.
Padres want to win a WC spot with Cease. That’s why the price would be very high to pry him away even as a rental.
That’s good since the Tigers wouldn’t trade him for all the O’s remaining top prospects combined!
Joey Ortiz is there starting SS, and they got a first round pick, they didn’t do too bad on that one, DL Hall is also on the MLB 26 man roster when he’s healthy.
I bet the Orioles would gladly trade him for Skubal.
Of course they wouldn’t this year, though I’m sure they thought about it for awhile last year. He’s the best pitcher in baseball now and under control for multiple years. They wouldn’t trade him for anyone unless they were stupid.
I should have said the O’s wouldn’t trade him for Skubal last year. I bet they had the chance and didn’t do it. But you maybe right they’d do it this season though I’m not so sure. Basallo might be the best hitter in the entire Baltimore organization. But the Tigers aren’t trading Skubal for anyone right now.
99Captain Judge99;
This kid is supposed to supplant Manny Machado, who’s owed over $250m over the next 9 years?
People say that spring stats don’t matter, but they only matter when they can be used against a player.
Mayo was trash in the majors last year and it carried over into spring. I agree, a little bit of grace and reading the room would’ve served him better here.
Go down to the minors and hit .350 with a half dozen homers in April and the inevitable injury on the big squad will warrant him a call.
Yeah there’s no doubting his talent and ability. Mayo probably won’t be in the minors for long. I can see him tearing it up again at AAA.
99Captain Judge99;
You see that happening?
Have you seen him play?
He’s a top prospect. Small sample sizes of at bats in the majors mean little compared to his prospect pedigree and excellent minor league track record.
His performance at the show last season and in spring training this season shows that he hasn’t played himself into the discussion right now. No sense complaining about what is plain to see. He will be back soon, he’s just gotta stay focused and work more on hitting the breaking ball and he will be better positioned to take full advantage of his next opportunity.
Totally agree…he in no way forced their hand. wanna make the show? Play better.
So, the HBP yesterday was nothing? I never heard anything except he was removed from the game.
Would the Orioles fan trade Colby Mayo, Jordan Westburg, and one of your young outfielders for Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara? Lmk
Mayo and a young OF, and a young pitcher maybe, but not Westburg.
2.5 years of a cy young winner is worth what 99 said, plus some filler. Because there’s always a bullpen arm included.
Alcantara needs to prove his is that guy. He lost it, even before the injury.
No the Orioles are not giving up that package, and definitely not adding filler for a guy coming back from TJS who was starting to decline back in 2023.
Yikes, kid, shut that trap. You did terrible last year and continued it into this spring. How do we know you haven’t “fallen off” already??? So yeah, you do have to prove it again. Everyone does in anything they do. There are no free passes in life.
Honestly I think this has probably made him expendable in the FO’s eyes, which probably makes them happy as they needed to decide on somebody to become a viable trade chip.
His power upside might be too great to give up right now. If he ends up being a perennial 35-40 HR power bat the Orioles will regret trading him. Maybe for Alcantara, but still…
Remember all those comments that the O’s and M’s should make the Mayo-for-Miller and Woo trade, but didn’t understand why the M’s would never make that trade? Hold the Mayo, please.
Throughout MLB history there have been players that could kill it in the minors but never were able to do much of anything at the ML level. They used to be called “AAA players”. Now we call them “AAAA players”.
The problem with most posters here is that they don’t watch the games. The read bs free scouting reports and swallow up narratives.
Mr. Mayo was radically over his head when he came up to the majors late in 2024. He was overmatched against ML pitching, and was absolutely awful trying to play 3B at the ML level. In fact, he was he worst looking player I’ve seen that was called up to the majors since I don’t know when. Had hopes that he’d work hard over the winter and make progress. Maybe. Maybe not.
The O’s are loaded with 3B’s and 1B’s that can hit ML pitching and play the positions, as well as DH’s that can hit. He’s not going to take one of their jobs. His statements above show that he doesn’t understand the situation. Just because you hit well in the minor leagues doesn’t mean a team has to carry a guy that “hit .098 while striking out 22 times in 46 plate appearances” at the ML level in 2024, and then hit a robust “.190 with 13 strikeouts and no homers over 46 trips to the dish” during spring training….when pitchers aren’t even throwing hard and are experiments with new pitches
and grips.
Wasn’t worth proofreading.
This kid believes his own pub. He could use some humility, as well as respect for the game.
His agent needs to have a(nother?) long talk with him.
Yeah, I think you should trade him for a bucket of balls like all the other AAAA players.
And Mike Schmidt hit. 196 his first year. Calm down, Sammy.
Mayo is evidently upset about sent down. He’s human and was emotional about his choice words which are getting scrutinized. It happens. He’ll undoubtedly get called up again soon.
Mayo says he’s proven “everything he needs to”….
So far it seems he’s proven only that he’s a whiner with an inflated ego.
That ..098 BA sure wowed them, eh Coby?
Go to AAA and grow up.
While it’s understandable that Mayo feels he doesn’t have much more to show against minor league pitching,
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That remains to be seen. His K/600 ABs in AA was 197. His K/600 in AAA was 170. Those are high numbers, close to 200 Ks in the pros. History is filled with guys with good minor league power, but too many Ks.
Fortheloveofgod, Matt Arnold, trade Caleb Durbin…Tyler Black…Aaron Ashby…whoever, for Mayo! Our 3B situation right now us the worst since Wes Helms started in ’04.
Off to the Tigers for you young Mayo. Jung and a young pitcher like Hamm or Melton in return. Unlike the big mean O’s the Tigers will let him play ;)
Coby Mayo is Nuke LaLoosh, with a bat.
Colby was a sophomore at Parkland High School when that nut shot up the school. I imagine it changes a guy…..
It’s all about perspective…..
Orioles prefer to hold the Mayo.
Should have traded him when the iron was hot
Well, its a tough spot right now.
It is very tough for his stock to go up very much given what he’s done in AAA to date. Many think highly of him. Yet he clearly has not hit at the MLB level. When BA starts with a “0” you can be disappointed all you want but you aren’t hitting.
If he falters on this trip to AAA however, the stock can very easily go down. Then maybe they can’t get much for him in trade AND he never pans out.
Basically he has to overwhelm at AAA this time and force the issue, or come back up at MLB for an injury and succeed, or be traded before the season starts.
This isn’t just the Orioles’ issue—it’s how baseball works everywhere, and it’s wasteful. Teams hold onto young stars like Mayo too long, waiting for the “perfect” time to bring them up, because they’ve got veterans in the way. But keeping a guy like Mayo in the minors when he’s ready to play in the majors is like leaving money on the table. He could be getting better by facing big-league pitchers now, not dominating minor-league ones who don’t challenge him anymore. Meanwhile, the team’s paying a price by sticking with good-but-not-great veterans instead of betting on a kid who could be a star.