Top prospect gives Orioles a ticking clock after 'lose-lose' comments

Orioles top prospect Coby Mayo had a bit of a 'hot mic' situation earlier this week after learning that he was being optioned back down to Triple-A to start the year. Mayo had been hitting well over the last two weeks' worth of spring training games and was clearly frustrated by the O's decision to relegate him back to the minors.

"It obviously sucks, because you feel like you’ve proved everything you needed to", Mayo said. The 23 year old called the demotion a "lose-lose" situation, because no matter how he performs in Norfolk, there's basically nothing left for him to gain there. He's already proven he can hit minor league pitching so if he hits well, nobody cares. However, if he fails then people will start to lose faith in him.

Ultimately, it's time for the Orioles to find a way to get Mayo everyday reps at the major league level. If they're not going to do that then it's arguably best for Mayo's development to use him as a trade chip and find a way to add to the big league roster.

Mayo hit .287/.364/.562 in Triple-A last year. He hit .267/.393/.512 at the same level in 2023. There's nothing left for him prove. If the Orioles are serious about keeping him around, he needs to be in Baltimore. It's really that simple.

The Orioles need to figure out what they're doing with Coby Mayo

Mayo did walk back the comments on Wednesday evening, issuing a statement about how his previous comments were unprofessional and that he's going to take the opportunity to try to improve so that he's ready when he gets the call. That's all well and good but honestly, the apology wasn't needed. Mayo's comments weren't disrespectful, nor were they a slight against the organization. It was a fair criticism from Mayo, even if the roster in Baltimore is crowded and it's difficult to see the path to full time duties in the early going this year.

Some fans took to social media to call out Mayo's previous failures and how his lack of success in the early part of spring training this year prove that he's not ready for the big leagues. However, Mayo wasn't the only player upset by the situation.

Former Orioles prospect Connor Norby had his own thoughts about it, calling out those who were using Mayo's spring training stats against him. "Stop obsessing over what happens in ST. It does not define what a player is or is going to be either way good or bad", Norby said.

Norby is right. Many players work on things during spring training. It's also extremely early in the year and we're working with a minuscule sample size, so there's really only so much that fans and writers without team-level data can glean from these performances.

At the end of the day, the point stands that the Orioles need to find a solution for Mayo. If that means getting him 500 plate appearances in the majors this year, that's great. It'll go a long way towards figuring out if Mayo's going to be a future contributor for this team. But if that means trading Mayo to address a weak spot on the roster, then Mike Elias needs to suck it up and do it. Another 300+ at-bats for Mayo down at Triple-A isn't going to do anyone any good. The Orioles need to figure this problem out, and quickly.