Why are Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer still in Triple A? Their coaches weigh in
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WORCESTER -- Every time Marcelo Mayer goes yard or Roman Anthony gets on base, there’s the inevitable response from fans on social media: “call him up!”
Less than a month into the MLB and MiLB seasons, Anthony and Mayer are drawing attention from fans across baseball for their impressive performances. So what gives? Why can’t the Red Sox find a spot for these scorching young prospects the way they did with Kristian Campbell?
As exciting as it is to watch the pair’s production from afar, on the ground at Polar Park, there’s still plenty of work being done to put the prospects in a position to not just succeed in the short term, but become players who can be a part of the Red Sox for years to come.
“Can either of those guys go to the big leagues, probably right now, and compete and do well? Sure. But it doesn’t always work that way,” Tracy said. “There’s a lot of little nuances that the game [in the majors] will expose that we’re working on. So does that mean they can’t go there tomorrow and play? Of course it doesn’t mean that. Yeah, they can. But while they’re here, we clean all these things up that we can.”
He detailed some of what Anthony’s working on currently.
“There’s things with his footwork on his throwing that we’re ironing out,” Tracy said. “There’s leads and secondaries at second base that we’re working on. It’s very small touches.
Even at the plate, there are small things Anthony can be working on that end up being important in the long run.
“There’s things with his hitting, believe it or not, as well, with his swing and getting the ball in the air to the pull side of the field when you have the opportunity to do so. Not smother into second base. They have drills to do. There’s plenty of things.”
Anthony, who smacked his fifth homer of the season on Thursday night, just made his return to the outfield this week after missing about 10 days in the field with a minor shoulder injury.
Mayer’s health is also something to consider. He missed the final two months of last season with back issues.
“Number one with Marcelo is his health. We want to see him withstand the ups and downs of the season from a health standpoint,” WooSox hitting coach Doug Clark said.
“And that’s not only physically, but mentally. These kids are not 30 years old. They’re very young, and they’re very susceptible to ups and downs and how they deal with them. And that’s where we come into play as coaches…but that’s something that he does well already.
“He’s a tremendous talent,” Clark added. “We can’t wait for him to get what he deserves, and that’s to be a champion up there with Boston.”
For kids in their early twenties, Anthony and Mayer already seem to handle the pressure well, both maintaining an even keel through the ups and downs. Mayer’s season didn’t get off to as hot a start as he may have wanted, but going through those struggles allowed him time to readjust.
“I think the way that I was just coming into the zone with a bad angle, the way that I was holding [the bat] didn’t allow me to stay through the zone as much as I wanted to,” Mayer said. “So I made a small adjustment with the way that I’m holding my bat right now, and it’s been working ever since.”
Also in the mix when it comes to deciding when the time is right to promote the pair is the roster calculus.
“Then the reality is we have a good organization, we have good players,” Tracy said. “So it’s not like ‘oh, bring Roman up.’ Well, who’s gonna leave? Those are good players. So at times it’s a case of the organization they are right where they’re supposed to be. And when the moment arises, we have them ready, and then they make the decision from there. Those kids are very grounded.”
When the time does come, whenever that is, the WooSox coaches are making sure they do everything they can to put Anthony and Mayer in the best position to succeed for a long time.
“They know that while they’re here, they’re here, and their focus can’t be anywhere else but here,” Tracy said. “They know that when their time comes and when the moment is right for them, that that decision will get made by [Craig Breslow] and company and they’ll do what’s best for them and the organization. But we have good players here, we have good players there, and everybody’s right where they’re supposed to be right now.”
WooSox 14, Syracuse Mets 1
The WooSox offense stayed very hot on Thursday night, with three balls leaving the ballpark off the bats of Nate Eaton (his second), Anthony (his fifth) and Corey Rosier (his first). Anthony reached base three times with a walk and single in addition to his 389-foot home run to left-center.
Nick Sogard had a nice night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and driving in a run. Abraham Toro continued his strong start to the season with a couple of hits and a walk.
Making his first WooSox start of the year, Hunter Dobbins continued to throw the ball well, allowing a run on four hits and two walks in six innings of work. Zack Kelly tossed two scoreless innings.
Notes
- New catching acquisition Yasmani Grandal was back in the lineup after missing a few games after fouling a ball of his foot last week. Grandal got hit with a backswing in the hand during the game, but stayed in for the remainder.
- Trayce Thompson has missed some time recently with some knee tendonitis that he has a history of in the past. “It just kind of was creeping up on him over the last week and a half, and we sat him trying to rest, and it would kind of creep back again,” Tracy said. “So we got to the point we felt like we just need to get off this thing for a few days, get him some anti-inflammatories going, and then he’s getting treatment a couple times a day and try to get past it and see if we can get him back on. Not on the IL, still active, but trying to avoid him for the time being with his knee barking at him.”
- Former WooSox player Niko Goodrum made a surprise decision today while in town, announcing his retirement today after playing the last two games for the Mets at Polar Park. Goodrum, 33, who played parts of seven seasons in the majors, was with the WooSox for a few months in 2023. He last appeared in the majors in 2024.
“I love that kid,” Tracy said of Goodrum. “Veteran presence that played the game right. He wanted to win and he really enjoyed being a part of our group that year and it was a lot of fun. So really, really love that guy. And I know even back then, like, he was kind of in his own mind with thoughts of ‘do I want to keep going?’”
What’s Next
Lucas Giolito will make another rehab start for the WooSox on Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
Read the original article on MassLive.
