WORCESTER, Mass. — Shortstop Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Kyle Teel walked together into a club level suite at Triple-A Worcester’s Polar Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Four cameras from local television stations were set up and nearly 30 media members awaited their arrival.
“This is a little different than Portland,” Mayer quipped, as he sat between Teel and Anthony, each of them sporting fresh Woo Sox gear.
The hype surrounding the Red Sox’s “Big Three” prospects, all promoted together from Double-A Portland on Sunday, has been building for a while as the Red Sox organization has set its eyes on the future. That hype is growing louder as that future comes into focus.
Anthony led off and played center field on Tuesday night, going 3-for-4, while Teel caught and batted fifth, going 0-for-4 in the 4-3 Worcester win.
Roman Anthony (20 years, 92 days) is the youngest @RedSox player at Triple-A in 46 years!
He opens his @WooSox tenure with a double in his first AB after racking up 38 XBH and an .856 OPS at Double-A this year. pic.twitter.com/M6ubLcD48S
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 13, 2024
Mayer is working his way back from lower back/glute soreness, but is expected to be in the lineup for Worcester later this week. On Monday, he took a trip into Boston to visit a team doctor to get cleared for more baseball activities.
“I was pretty shocked how close Boston is,” Mayer said, referring to the proximity from Worcester, a roughly 50-minute drive, but the irony of the statement on the day he joined the Triple-A club was not lost. The majors are indeed around the corner.
The promotion of the prospects to Triple A added a buzz not heard before at Polar Park, even with the promotions of top prospects in recent years like Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela or Triston Casas. (Casas, incidentally, continued his rehab in Worcester and clubbed a first-inning two-run homer on Tuesday.)
“It’s obvious the attention they’ve gotten, and obvious the attention they got in Portland, too” Worcester manager Chad Tracy said. “I know there were a lot of people going to watch them there and rightfully so. They’re good players. That being said, (Triple A is) a different level. It’s a challenging level. It’s a big step in their development, conquering this now. So there’s probably going to be ups and downs and things like that. We’ll be with them along the way.”
In his recent top 60 MLB prospects list, The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Mayer No. 2, Teel at No. 19 and Anthony at No. 21, all three rocketing up the charts from their rankings earlier in the year.
Though each player ended last season in Double A, the four months in Portland to start this season were crucial for their development. Anthony hit .269 with an .856 OPS and 15 homers in 84 games, Teel hit .299 with an .852 OPS and 11 homers in 84 games and Mayer posted a .307 average, .850 OPS and eight homers in 77 games. Anthony, who turned 20 in May, is the youngest Red Sox prospect in Triple A since Glenn Hoffman debuted in 1977 at age 19.
While there were conversations about promoting them together, it wasn’t always a sure thing, with several scenarios suggesting one or two might join Worcester first based on open roster spots and playing time. In the end, the organization opted to keep them together.
“It’s really worked out well that their goals have kind of coincided and improved parallel to each other throughout the season,” director of player development Brian Abraham said. “Not everything has been perfect, but there’s been a lot of progress made, a lot of improvement. They’ve all had their own challenges, but I think ultimately we felt like timing-wise, where they were at this part of the season, the amount of time that was left in the season, the roster in Triple A providing them a really good opportunity to come up here and play every day and get an opportunity to compete at the highest level.”
Anthony (left), Mayer (center) and Teel at the 2024 Futures Game. (Daniel Shirey / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Abraham laid out what they’re looking for from each player to get them big-league ready. For Teel, a 2023 first-round pick, it will be key for him to catch upper-level pitchers, those with more polished arsenals, many of whom have had big-league experience. He’ll also focus on calling his own game behind the plate. The Red Sox are looking for Anthony, a 2022 second-rounder, to pull the ball in the air for more impact. Mayer, a 2021 first-rounder, will be focused on increasing walks and decreasing strikeouts, particularly against lefties, while also working on his range in the field.
“I told all three of the kids, this is finishing school now,” Tracy said. “You’re talented, you got through A ball and Double A and your talent carries you, and this is where you have to start thinking along with the pitcher. Pitchers are going to be able to execute things that they can’t in Double A. All those little things. Then the jump from here to the big leagues is just as big, if not bigger.”
Their development at Double A marked an important step for each of the three prospects, one that Anthony admitted made for a tough departure despite the excitement.
“It was a little bit bittersweet leaving Eppy down there,” Anthony said of Portland manager Chad Epperson. “Starting the year down there we had such a great group of guys that I think I can speak for the three of us, we weren’t really worried about where we were going next year, or a promotion or anything like that. We were having such a good time playing hard down there with the group we had, and obviously the dream is to get here and it’s another step along the way. Obviously it’s that much better when it’s the three of us. And I think it makes the adjustment a little bit easier when you have two other guys that you spend every day with going through the same with you.”
While the pressure and expectations on the players may seem overwhelming, they’ve grown accustomed to it all. As highly talented players throughout their lives, they’ve dealt with prospect rankings from youth.
“I always kind of make this joke, nowadays, there’s Perfect Game, all these ranking websites, so I’ve been ranked since I was, like, 5 years old,” said the 21-year-old Mayer. “You kind of grow up with that pressure. So it’s kind of nothing new.”
Worcester players are housed in an apartment complex across the street from the ballpark. Teel will be roommates with pitching prospect Richard Fitts, while Anthony and Mayer, who roomed together in Portland, will continue their same setup in Worcester.
The group did not hide their fondness for the city of Portland, but recognized there’s a new home to explore in Worcester. Asked if he’d nailed down the city’s name, Mayer, a Southern California native, gave his best attempt at a Boston accent, admitting he’d practiced his “Woo-stah” pronunciation.
There’s no telling how long the trio will remain in Worcester, but all indications suggest they’ll be in Boston by next year. Polar Park will take them as long as it can.
(Top photo of Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony meeting the media in Worcester: Ashley Green / Worcester Red Sox)
