MLB Scout Gives Take On Red Sox's Kristian Campbell-Marcelo Mayer 2B Competition

Who should the Red Sox roll with out of the gate?

Feb 27, 2025; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) stops at third during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The second base battle has become the biggest story regarding the Boston Red Sox's roster, and a decision has to be forthcoming.

Opening Day is officially just a week away, and the Red Sox have been less clear about their intentions for second base than any other position. It looks as though newcomer Alex Bregman will settle in as the full-time third baseman, so the job has been (and could still be) up for grabs.

Vaughn Grissom was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, so three main contestants for second base remain. They are second-year speedster David Hamilton, 2023 fourth-round pick Kristian Campbell, and 2021 first-round pick Marcelo Mayer.

Mayer and Campbell are two members of the Red Sox's "big three," as they're called in the prospect world, along with outfielder Roman Anthony. Mayer has been primarily a shortstop throughout the minor leagues, but he got his first start of the spring at second on Wednesday--and impressed in the process.

On Thursday, a Major League Baseball scout interviewed by Alex Speier of the Boston Globe expressed his belief that Mayer, not Campbell, should be the Opening Day second baseman, with Hamilton in a bench/utility role.

“I’m not surprised he’s getting time [at second]," the scout said. "I think we’re seeing what this guy’s capable of... Marcelo can play defense better than all of them except maybe Hamilton. He can certainly hit well enough to play there every day... This would be the high-risk, high-reward option. The downside is he has zero big-league experience.

"He has the most upside in the organization outside of [Roman] Anthony. Simple as that. Do you want to start the [service time] clock and have him play every day?... If it were me, I’d roll with Marcelo. I’d go with Marcelo and Hamilton and say, ‘This is our best team.’”

Mayer, 22, has been much better than Campbell at the plate in spring training (.937 OPS to Campbell's .499). However, Campbell starred in a slightly larger sample size in Triple-A at the end of last summer, while Mayer has yet to play a single game at Triple-A because of the back injury that ended his season in August.

It seemed as though Campbell was building momentum towards winning the job, but Mayer's successful outing in his first start at the position certainly threw a wrench in things.

Does manager Alex Cora think like the aforementioned scout? Or does he agree with those who have Campbell above Mayer in various publications' prospect rankings? It's a razor-thin margin, and a decision could happen any day now.

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