Marcelo Mayer Wants To Become A Face Of Baseball, But Winning World Series With Red Sox Is His Primary Goal
BOSTON (CBS) -- Marcelo Mayer has a long way to becoming a major leaguer, but he hopes to someday be one of the faces of baseball. It's a lofty goal for the 18-year-old, who was drafted fourth overall by the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.
But it's the kind of goals that a future star should have, though it's not the primary goal for the shortstop prospect. Baseball is a team sport, after all, and Mayer would much rather enjoy the glory of winning than being the face of baseball.
"My main goal is to win a World Series with the Red Sox, before anything else," Mayer told reporters on his introductory Zoom call on Tuesday.
Mayer is viewed as one of the best players to come out of the 2021 draft, a stud with the bat and in the field at a premiere position. That he fell to the Red Sox at No. 4 -- to a team that is currently sitting in first place in its division -- is seen as a spoil of riches for Boston.
For Mayer, just hearing his name as one of the first ones called on Sunday night was an honor.
"It's totally amazing and a dream come true, something I've dreamt about for my entire life," he said. "And to get the call from the Red Sox -- a franchise that is a winning org that has a great front office and fans -- is amazing."
The 6-foot-3 Mayer saw an uptick in his power as a senior at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California, clubbing 14 homers over 34 games. Mayer and scouts alike are confident that power will continue to increase as he fills out his frame, and begins to hit the weight room.
"As soon as I report, I'm going to have a meeting with the strength coach and do whatever I can to put myself in the best position possible," he said, adding that he stayed away from weights in high school to avoid losing mobility. "Me and my dad wanted me to stay super loose and not get stiff. We saw a lot of kids who were really good at a young age who started to hit the weight room and they lost a lot of mobility. We wanted to stay away from that."
The sky is the limit for Mayer, who said he wants to sign with Boston as soon as possible. While he grew up a fan of the New York Yankees, he's all-in on becoming a franchise player for the Red Sox.
"The main thing for me was I was a huge Derek Jeter fan, the way he carried himself on and off the field. That turned me into a Yankees fan, but I liked the Red Sox, too," he explained. "I never disliked them. It's an honor to play with a classy organization like this."
