Orioles corner infield prospect makes MLB Pipeline top 10

The infield prospect depth the Orioles have continues to garner national recognition

Baltimore Orioles Photo Day: Orioles prospect Coby Mayo poses for a photo during team photo day
Baltimore Orioles Photo Day: Orioles prospect Coby Mayo poses for a photo during team photo day / Julio Aguilar/GettyImages

On Tuesday, MLB Pipeline continued their offseason series on the top 10 prospects at each position by covering third base, with the infield almost done. After Samuel Basallo and Connor Norby made the top 10 lists at their respective positions, corner infielder Coby Mayo gets on the third base list.

Coby Mayo ranks high among third base prospects entering 2024

Coby Mayo is a corner infielder in the Orioles system who is their fourth-best prospect and 27th-best in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline. They have him as the fourth-best third base prospect entering 2024, with Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Noelvi Marte of the Cincinnati Reds and Colt Keith of the Detroit Tigers ahead of him.

MLB Pipeline gives Mayo the best arm among the third basemen listed, citing the power of his arm as the main reason, though he can be inaccurate with his throws across the diamond from time to time. They give him a 70-grade arm, one off the 80-grade, which is the best mark a prospect can get.

Mayo spent time with Double A Bowie and Triple A Norfolk this season, playing 140 games across both levels. He combined to produce a .290/.410/.564 slash line with a .974 OPS, blasting 29 home runs and 45 doubles while putting up 99 RBIs and drawing 93 walks.

There's no question that Mayo is a bat-first player, but third base is in flux for the Orioles as everyone who has played there can also play other positions. Mayo's arm strength combined with his big bat could result in him getting the call to the majors in 2024, but it's very reasonable to project he'll start the year at Triple A, as he hasn't played a full season there and isn't presently on the 40-man roster.

In addition to Caminero joining Mayo on the list, the Rays have another prospect in Curtis Mead on the top 10 list, with Mead appearing at number eight. So, like it was for most of the regular season in the AL East, it's the Orioles and Rays racing for the best prospects in the game. I'll give the edge to the Orioles.

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