Marcelo Mayer looks calm, cool and collected in the Majors

His adjustment to The Show has been really easy to watch so far!

There has been a lot of negative talk surrounding third base and the Boston Red Sox this week, and understandably so. What an insane week it’s been. I really want to preface this article by saying that I don’t want to come off sounding like a positive mouthpiece for the Red Sox organization — it’s been a really trying week for us all as a Nation collectively. Still, there are more stories to be told, and one that’s given me at least some modicum of hope is the transition of Marcelo Mayer to the big leagues.

As does every rookie, Mayer’s immediate impression in Boston was, well, slow. His bat speed didn’t look up to snuff, striking out eight times in just seven games. The defense was good enough, but it absolutely takes time to adjust to the game speed of Major League Baseball.

Yet, the adjustments in his last 15 games have been really interesting to watch and it’s reflecting in his game. Let’s start out just raw stats wise. His batting average still isn’t eye-popping, but his slugging percentage is jumping.

Every one of his four homers he’s had in the Majors has been a no-doubter, and he’s made it look effortless. Seriously, his swing looks so smooth, like a well-oiled machine. I urge y’all to take a second and go to 2:05 of the video below because Mark DeRosa and the gang at MLB Central show this off beautifully. His swing has no hinges in it, no pauses or hiccups that might take a lot more adjusting to big league speeds, it’s absolutely seamless.

What’s also been seamless is his play at third base. His defense had been PRAISED up and down by scouts when he was drafted, with a 60 grade arm and a 55 grade in the field. He’s promptly looked the part, even if third base hasn’t been his position. Between multiple great throws over the weekend in Seattle, to a diving catch in Atlanta, his defense has been such an assuagement to the loss of Alex Bregman.

He’s already got one out above average in less than a month of baseball played at the top level. What do the Red Sox do when Bregman returns? Your infield has to have Mayer, Story, and Bregman, but in what positions?

That coolness extends off the field too. Lucas Giolito is always singing his praises and developed a little bit of a bromance with Mayer, kissing him on both cheeks after every homer. Trevor Story compared his fielding clock to Nolan Arenado, which might be as high praise as you can get for a defensive third baseman. Mayer compared it to playing goalie in soccer as a kid, every ball getting hit hard.

In that same interview for WEEI, Mayer says the game is always going to be the game, it doesn’t change on the field. Will Flemming’s question was about staying cool amidst all the drama of the team this week. Even if there was no drama, I would expect Mayer to stay as cool as a cucumber as he’s looked in his first month in the big leagues. If the adjustments he’s made so far have reaped these dividends? Just imagine what patience will give us—as much as we all still have, anyway. Since a certain someone isn’t the future anymore, it’s time to see what these kids are made of. They’re our new faces, and Mayer’s looks unflappable right now.