Baltimore Orioles Don't Know Which Defensive Position Their Star Slugger Will Have

It seems like the Baltimore Orioles are still trying to figure out where their star slugger is going to play on defense during his career.

Aug 11, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles third base Coby Mayo (16) tags out Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Brandon Lowe (8) at third base during the third inning at Tropicana Field / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have a lot of figure out this offseason.

Following a disappointing playoff sweep for the second straight year, general manager Mike Elias is weighing options with his skipper Brandon Hyde, who was already announced to be returning in 2025, to ensure this roster can take the next step.

Changes could be coming to the coaching staff, more specifically those on the offensive end, with them seemingly looking to remodel the way they approach things at the plate.

Remaking the lineup could also be a huge thing the organization has to tackle this winter with Anthony Santander likely finding a new home in free agency based on what he has done throughout his career and how much money he might be offered by a cash-rich franchise.

Because of that, Elias will have to figure out who he's going to put in right field.

Conventional wisdom would suggest the Orioles turn things over to their former top prospect Heston Kjerstad who has enjoyed a prolific minor league career when looking at his power numbers, but there are also some concerns that would come from that decision.

The 25-year-old only has 52 Major League games and 129 at-bats under his belt, and while he's performed well during this time with a 116 OPS+ and 113 wRC+, his inexperience has also caused him to have a 29.3% strikeout rate that's paired with below average defense.

Having Kjerstad be the full-time player would certainly come with some risks.

Perhaps Baltimore looks for a platoon option in right field with Cedric Mullins and Colton Cowser holding down the other two spots.

One name that's been floated is their other star prospect Coby Mayo.

This season, the 22-year-old finally made his breakthrough to the MLB level after he continued to dominate the Triple-A level on his way to winning the 2024 International League Top MLB Prospect Award.

Mayo has spent all his time playing in the infield, getting the majority of his reps at third base and some at first, but Elias isn't throwing out the possibility he could make the transition into the outfield.

"It's come up in discussions. I think that would be a pretty long-term investment project with him because he's a shortstop in high school and he's played infield his whole life. That's a big adjustment, and then you talk about his body type, my expectation is that would be a pretty significant move. It has come up and I wouldn't pull it off the table," he said per Roch Kubatko of MASN.

Much of that comes from the loaded infield group the Orioles already have.

Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, and Jackson Holliday are going to have positions for as long as they're healthy. Combine those three with Ryan Mountcastle at first base and Ramon Urias as their utilityman, and things become murky for Mayo.

However, despite all that, Elias added he doesn't envision the slugging youngster moving to the outfield.

"It's remained a little bit longer of an answer than I would have liked because, you know, when you're his size and body type, first base is going to be the easiest position for you to play and he's probably the furthest along at first base despite most of his minor league repetitions coming at third. But as we saw even in the big leagues, he can play third base ... But it's very possible when we're talking this winter or later toward spring training that we do have a different plan to articulate. But I think it's going to depend a lot on the context of what we do with other players on the roster," he said.

All of this suggests Baltimore still isn't sure exactly where Mayo's permanent position is going to be.