SARASOTA, Fla. — Coby Mayo disagrees with the framing through which some view the Orioles’ top-ranked farm system.
“There’s only a logjam if you think there is,” he said.
Mayo is one of six Orioles who appear on at least one major top 100 prospect list, with the majority of them having reached Triple-A. Baltimore’s brass has difficult roster decisions to make this spring with the position-player battles mostly pitting established big leaguers against top prospects.
“I don’t think there’s a logjam,” Mayo said. “I think if you do what you’re supposed to do and they’re happy with what you’re doing, you’re going to get your opportunity.”
The Orioles farm system, though, is far less jammed now than a year ago, especially among infielders. In addition to Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg becoming big leaguers, the Orioles traded away infield prospects Darell Hernaiz, César Prieto and Joey Ortiz as parts of deals to acquire starting pitchers.
Now, with consensus No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday destined to debut sometime in 2024, the last two players in the logjam of Orioles infield prospects are Mayo and second baseman Connor Norby. Despite standout performances in the minors last season and so far this spring, it’s unlikely either makes the opening day roster, and their paths to Baltimore — especially Norby’s — are unclear.
“At the end of the day, both of us know that our time is coming, and we want to be ready for that,” Norby said.
Henderson, Holliday and Westburg all figure into the Orioles’ long-term infield plans, while Jorge Mateo and Ramon Urías are short-term options unless the organization decides to trade one or both away to make room for Mayo and/or Norby.
Mayo, who is seen as having an outside shot of breaking camp with the club, is perhaps more likely to arrive in the show before Norby given the former’s elevated prospect status and power, which he’s displayed this spring, wowing during batting practice sessions and in Grapefruit League games. The 22-year-old corner infielder has been one of the club’s best hitters this spring, going 15-for-41 with seven doubles and a home run. But he’s turned heads just as much in camp with his defense, as manager Brandon Hyde said he’s improved immensely at third base, his natural position, in addition to picking up first base in recent years.
Mayo was an intriguing prospect since he was selected out of high school in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, but he didn’t have a great 2022 season, hitting .247 after slumping a bit when he reached Double-A.
He wasn’t a top 100 prospect on Baseball America’s preseason ahead of last season, but he quickly emerged as one of the sport’s best youngsters during his monster 2023 campaign. While Holliday gained additional notoriety from his unprecedented year, Mayo was perhaps the Orioles’ best hitter in the minor leagues. Between Double- and Triple-A, Mayo slashed .290/.410/.564 — good for a .974 OPS — with an organization-best 29 homers and 99 RBIs.
Mayo is now a consensus top 100 prospect, ranked No. 25 by Baseball America. The only Orioles ahead of Mayo are Holliday and 19-year-old catcher Samuel Basallo.
As he dominates big league camp, Mayo believes he’s ready to be a big leaguer.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t ready because obviously I want to go up and play right now,” he said. “I feel the best I’ve ever felt at third, running and hitting.”
Norby’s prospect status has gone in the opposite direction of Mayo’s — and by no wrongdoing of his own. Despite hitting at every level of the minor leagues he’s played at, Norby went from being a top 100 prospect entering last season to out of those lists by midseason. The 23-year-old second baseman slashed .290/.359/.483 — good for an .842 OPS — in 633 plate appearances in Triple-A, where he spent all season, with 64 extra-base hits and 92 RBIs.
“I think it’s crazy to leave someone like that off lists, but I guess that’s what you get when you’re in an organization when you have so many high-caliber prospects,” Mayo said of Norby. “You don’t want to put all these Orioles players on your lists. … He’s had two really good years the last two years, and I bet he’s going to have another good year this year.”
Norby knew what to say when he was asked whether he felt undervalued by those outside the organization.
“I’m going to say no,” he said.
But does he have a chip on his shoulder?
“Absolutely, 100%,” he said. “It’ll always be there. I know what my value is. I know how good I am. I know how good I will be. I think I’m a good enough player now to play in the big leagues, but that’s not my decision, and I feel valued by this organization, absolutely.”
Norby, who was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, isn’t a perfect prospect, as his defense at second base (as well as the corner outfield) is an unanswered question. He’s also a smaller player at 5 feet, 9 inches. But his ability to hit is not in doubt.
Hyde agreed about the second baseman being overlooked.
“For me, though, the way he swings the bat, if he is under the radar, he shouldn’t be because he can really hit,” he said.
As it is for former prospects in the Orioles’ system, they might be more likely to play if they were traded elsewhere.
Ortiz has a good chance to make the Milwaukee Brewers’ opening day roster. Hernaiz was the Oakland Athletics’ Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year last season. And Prieto’s path to the majors is more possible with the St. Louis Cardinals than it ever would’ve been in Baltimore.
“When you lose guys like [them], you think that it’ll open up a little bit, and it felt like it didn’t open up at all,” Norby said of the Orioles’ farm system. “It’s just a credit to the front office here and the guys they brought in and who they drafted — not only great players, but great people. All the credit goes to the front office for that.”
Norby knows all he has to do is remain patient with the belief in himself that he’ll be a big leaguer soon.
“I can think like that and have those thoughts to myself all the time,” he said of potentially being in the major leagues if he were with another organization. “But at the end of the day, maybe I’m not here this fast if it weren’t for this org. It’ll happen when it’s supposed to happen.
“It gets frustrating, sure, just like anyone can get frustrated. But I think you need to go through some of this at the end of the day to get where you want to go.”
In a way, though, those trades announced the Orioles’ intentions. By trading away Hernaiz, Prieto and Ortiz, they chose to keep Norby, Mayo and others.
“Last man standing,” Norby said with a laugh. “No, absolutely, I feel valued, and I feel like my time is coming soon and that I’m going to help the team win games down the road. I just have to be ready when my name is called.”
While it might not happen early in 2024, sometime in the not-so-distant future it’s possible that the Orioles’ entire infield — and possibly an outfield or DH spot — is made up of former top infield prospects.
Mayo said he’s pondered the past few years about sharing the field with Holliday, Henderson, Westburg and Norby.
“I always wondered what this infield was going to look like when it’s all said and done,” he said. “We have so many great infielders right now that you just want to play everybody, but you can’t do that yet.”
Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Weyrich contributed to this article.