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Believe it or not, Baltimore Orioles fans, but the best baseball might be yet to come at Camden Yards. Because even with former prospects Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg in the majors, the franchise still has a league-leading three prospects in the top 30 of the MLB.com’s top 100 list.
Among them, though, it’s Coby Mayo (ranked 29th), not Jackson Holliday (the league’s top prospect), who’s caught the eye of Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter as the 2024 season enters its second week.
He predicted Mayo would lead all rookies in home runs this season.
“With all the hype surrounding Jackson Holliday, another Orioles top prospect knocking on the MLB door is flying under the radar,” Reuter wrote in his April 2 column on “1 bold prediction” for each team in the league. “Slugger Coby Mayo hit .290/.410/.564 with 45 doubles, 29 home runs and 99 RBI in 140 games between Double-A and Triple-A, and he posted a 1.008 OPS with eight extra-base hits in 58 plate appearances this spring.”
Holliday and Mayo were with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides, to open the season.
Whether one of them gets called up to the majors this year will depend on a lot of things. But if the Orioles need hitters who can go the distance, then it could be Mayo who gets the call, ahead of Holliday, to join the defending American League Eastern champs.
Joel Reuter’s Case for Coby Mayo
Reuter cited the power behind Mayo’s swing as the primary case for his optimism.
“With a hot start at Triple-A, he could push his way into a regular role at first base and designated hitter, and his 65-grade power is for real,” Reuter wrote.
For further context, Holliday’s power is graded just a notch below Mayo’s at 60.
That’s after he converted a .313 batting average into 13 doubles, five home runs, and 24 RBI in just 54 appearances for the team’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last year.
Holliday’s rise through the minor leagues last season leaves little question regarding his future in the majors. The former first-overall pick worked his way from Single-A to Triple-A.
He picked up where he left off in the Tides’ season-opener on March 29, going deep in his first at-bat.
Mayo did the same two games later, hitting his first of the season in the Tides’ lone loss through April 1.
And the stats support those power grades. Holliday’s home run was good for 403 feet at a 102.9 miles per hour velocity, while Mayo’s hit went 411 feet at 111.3 mph.
There is a lot of baseball yet to be played. But the Orioles’ rookie home run leader should make for (another) fun storyline this season.
Jordan Westburg Hits Walk-Off HR to Beat Royals
The opening game of Baltimore’s second series this season nearly brought fans to their knees.
That is until Jordan Westburg brought them to their feet. In a tie game, facing an 0-2 count in the bottom of the ninth, he went 369 feet with a two-run homer to walk it off.
It was the first walk-off home run of Westburg’s entire baseball career. After the game, he shared how special the moment was with Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports.
“That was the coolest moment of my career so far. I’ve never had a walk-off in all the years I’ve played baseball,” Westburg said. “To have my first one here in Baltimore is pretty special.”
Once an aspiring Orioles prospect himself, Westburg made the 2024 roster after appearing in 68 games with the club last season.
And while power may be the key behind moments like his walk-off, he maintained his focus was consistency, and putting his team in good positions.
“My hope isn’t necessarily to hit for more power. … I’d like to, but at the end of the day that’s not my goal,” he said. “My goal is just to put together competitive at-bats for the ballclub, and hopefully that comes with a little bit more power.”
Perhaps power isn’t everything. Perhaps Holliday will prevail over Mayo on the home run leaderboard this season. But there’s no doubt in the future of Baltimore Orioles baseball. It’s as bright as it’s ever been.
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