SARASOTA, Fla. – He is one of baseball’s top prospects with a very potent bat. But it is his improvements on defense that are getting noticed often in O’s camp in Florida.
If you would have said in the winter that Mayo would get as much praise in Sarasota for his defense as for offense, that would have been a surprise.
But he’s playing a solid third base with confidence and he said he’s a much-better defender than when he was at spring camp in 2023.
“There is a big difference,” he said before Wednesday’s game.
The difference has come more from his throwing than glove-work. His throws are now more accurate and that has given him added confidence on defense. It all started last year when the big league coaching staff suggested he lower his arm slot a bit for increased accuracy. We often hear about pitchers using a different arm slot, but Mayo made a big change and dropped his arm slot to a more three-quarters type of throw.