Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer is starting to heat up at the plate
Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer is starting to find his groove at the plate. He had two big swings in Wednesday night's win over the Rays, as he sent a pair of souvenirs into the Fenway Park crowd.
The third baseman accounted for half of Boston's four solo home runs in the 4-3 victory, which propelled the Red Sox to the team's second straight series win. After hitting the first Fenway homer of his career in the second inning, Mayer went yard again in the bottom of the fourth.
"They felt really good. To get the first one at home was special," Mayer said after the win. "Then obviously to get the second one, anytime you can help the team out offensively it means a lot."
Mayer hit his first career homer last Friday night at Yankee Stadium. But that 410-foot shot came in a Boston loss and in enemy territory. Wednesday night's dingers were much more enjoyable for Mayer.
"It's always better to hit a homer at home, compared to on the road. I'd much rather get cheered than booed," he said. "It was awesome. I love this place and love the energy Fenway Park brings. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."
Marcelo Mayer heating up at the plate
It's been less than three weeks since Mayer was called up on May 24, but he already looks a lot more comfortable at the dish. Both of Wednesday night's homers were towering blasts to right field, which looks like it will become a sweet spot for the 22-year-old.
Mayer launched the first pitch he saw from Rays starter Zack Littell in the second inning -- an 87 mph slider -- 418 feet to right to put Boston on top, 2-1. The ball left his bat at a scorching 108.7 mph for Mayer's hardest hit ball of the season.
Two innings later, he took the Tampa righty deep again, crushing a 1-1 splitter 410 feet to nearly the same spot to make it a 3-1 game. That ball left his bat at 104.9 mph.
In the first two games of the series, Mayer hit some monster fouls to right field. He straightened those moonshots out on Wednesday, and became just the 10th Red Sox player to have a multi-homer game within their first 15 games. At 22 years and 182 days old, Mayer is the third-youngest player on that list, trailing only Billy Conigliaro (21 years, 244 days) and Ted Williams (20 years, 247 days).
"The process always stays the same. I feel more comfortable every single day I'm here. Obviously, a little bit of adjustments on me that have helped me be more on time," said Mayer. "The biggest thing is getting a good pitch to hit and a pitch you can do damage on. Thankfully I was on time and he put it in a good spot for me to do damage. It always feels good to hit a homer."
After hitting .222 in his first seven games in the big leagues, Mayer has slashed .294/.400/.882 over his last eight with three homers and a double. He's scored eight runs over the stretch, and has logged at least one hit in four of his last six games.
The future is now for the Red Sox, with Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kristian Campbell -- Boston's "Big 3" of prospects -- all on the Major League club. Growing pains and ups and downs are to be expected, as we've seen with Campbell's lengthy slump and Anthony's cold start.
But Mayer is beginning to heat up at the dish, and is starting to showcase his full potential at the big league level for Boston.
