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Is Coby Mayo a fantasy baseball waiver wire stash? Brenton discusses the fantasy baseball outlook for re-draft leagues for the rest of the 2024 season.
Even if you are one of baseball's highest-regarded prospects, the Baltimore Orioles are one tough cookie to crack. Not only do the O's boast one of the best teams in baseball but also the No. 1-ranked farm system, as per MLB Pipeline. Not only have they graduated several Top 100 prospects in recent seasons but also have another four players currently ranked inside MLB.com's top 21 prospects.
This, of course, includes corner infielder Coby Mayo, the 19th-ranked prospect and No. 3-ranked Orioles prospect behind Jackson Holliday and Samuel Basallo. Mayo would have easily cracked the big leagues in the vast majority of organizations in baseball, but again, the Orioles are a different story. A rib injury has kept him out of the lineup since May 16 but the 22-year-old is hitting .291 with 13 homers, three steals, and a .964 OPS across 42 games with Triple-A Norfolk as his assault on minor-league pitching continues.
When healthy, is a promotion imminent? Also, what does his fantasy potential look like at the game's highest level? Let's dive in and check out Mayo's prospect status now and his outlook moving forward.
How High Is Coby Mayo's Fantasy Potential?
Of course, with the way Mayo has punished minor-league pitching since being taken in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the sky appears to be the limit. A monstrous 2023 season that saw him hit .290 with 29 homers, 45 doubles, and a .973 OPS across 140 games between Double-A and Triple-A cemented Mayo as a legitimate, elite prospect, if he wasn't already. His 2024 campaign has only proven he has very little left to prove in the minors.
Coby Mayo crushes his 12th of the year🔥
He continues to destroy Triple-A pitching. pic.twitter.com/KOPsURQJai
— The Call Up | An MLB Prospect Podcast (@The_CallUpPod) May 10, 2024
As we approach mid-June, fantasy managers in redraft leagues should consider stashing Mayo for the remainder of the 2024 season. He is either going to force his way into Baltimore's dynamic offense one way or another or he could headline a trade for a starting pitcher considering Baltimore's decimated starting rotation.
Regardless of how you slice it, even redraft managers will want to exercise patience when it comes to the sky-high ceiling of Coby Mayo.
When Might Coby Mayo Get A Major-League Opportunity?
Mayo's current rib injury certainly hasn't helped his promotion date as he has been out of action for nearly a month at this point. He has begun swinging a bat but has yet to appear in a game since May 16.
Here's the play where Orioles prospect Coby Mayo fractured his rib Thursday. The organization says he will miss several weeks with the injury. pic.twitter.com/HzdMMqZAJF
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) May 17, 2024
If Mayo's offensive production even approaches his pre-injury work, he's going to force his way to a big-league promotion at some point in 2024. Of course, the Orioles' infield is as crowded with young talent as possible with Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle, and Ryan O'Hearn each having big seasons. Westburg has seen the vast majority of reps at third base while Mountcastle and O'Hearn have handled first-base duties.
Injuries and a potential opening at designated hitter remain possibilities, as well. At the end of the day, Mayo's hot-hitting ways have more than proven he has nothing to prove in the minors and is pounding at the door for a big-league call-up when he (hopefully) makes a healthy return to action.
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