He’s not the forgotten man according to one prognosticator.
It’s a battle of the prospect prognosticators! Just a few days ago, we remarked that it was starting to feel like Marcelo Mayer was something of a forgotten man as he battled injuries while Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell skyrocketed past him in various prospect rankings. But ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has not forgotten Marcelo. McDaniel still has Mayer as the number four prospect in all of baseball (trailing Roki Sasaki, Anthony, and Walker Jenkins) and calling him a potential All-Star who posts above-average on-base percentages and hits 20-25 homers while playing shortstop.
McDaniel is somewhat bearish on Kristian Campbell compared to other publications, putting him in the 28 spot and noting that there are mechanical concerns about his swing. Those concerns have been there since day one and they’ve yet to manifest on the field, but obviously the real test of his swing is yet to come. (Kiley McDaniel, ESPN)
Mayer is on the cusp of his first big league spring training and seems to be rarin’ to go. He’s even willing to play some outfield if that’s what it takes to get in the Red Sox lineup. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
Carlos Narvaez won’t be watched as closely this spring as Marcelo Mayer, but he’ll be locked in a genuine battle for the second-string catcher spot with Blake Sabol. Here’s a nice profile of the Venezuelan, which notes that he was a fan of Jason Varitek growing up. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Ceddanne Rafaela was the star of spring training 2024, but one former executive (yeah, that one) is excited to see him in Fort Myers again this year, as he sees Ceddanne as one of the breakout candidates for 2025. (Jim Bowden, The Athletic)
Who are we going to be watching in the bullpen in the spring? As we noted last week, the Sox need another relief arm. Two of the names we suggested are now off the board, as Tommy Kahnle signed a one-year, $7.75 million deal with the Dodgers, while Carlos Estevez inked a two-year, $22 million deal with those big spending Royals. With options dwindling, some people are even suggesting a reunion with Kenley Jansen. That has never seemed likely, but, despite their bickering, maybe Kenley and the Red So are just meant to be. (Gio Rivera, NESN)