It's Now or Never for Coby Mayo When It Comes to His Orioles Future

Coby Mayo is getting another opportunity with the Baltimore Orioles.

After Ryan Mountcastle suffered a strained hamstring that is going to put him on the injured list next to Jordan Westburg, the two established players who were blocking Mayo are now out of his way for the time being.

That should result in a prolonged opportunity for him to prove what he's capable of at the MLB level.

For a long time, fans have been clamoring for the Orioles to give their star prospect a real chance at settling into The Show without looking over his shoulder when it comes to being sent back down.

In all likelihood, this is that chance.

And that's why it's now or never for Mayo.

Ranked No. 2 in Baltimore's pipeline and No. 17 overall, the imposing 6-foot-3 slugger has looked the part during his minor league career, putting up back-to-back seasons where he hit 25-plus home runs and had 70 or more RBI.

But he has looked completely lost at the plate during his three prior stints in The Show.

Owning a .094 batting average where none of his five hits have been for extra bases, Mayo has struck out 28 times in 59 plate appearances for a staggering strikeout rate of 47.5% that is more than double the league average.

Mayo is still a young player, and struggles are to be expected when getting called up to the Majors for the first time. But the fact he's performed this poorly in a way that is the complete opposite of what he's done in the minors is cause for concern.

That's not to say he can't find himself at the big league level.

He wouldn't be viewed in such a positive light by evaluators if they didn't believe he had a high ceiling. But not every highly-touted prospect pans out, and there's a chance that could be the case with Mayo if he doesn't show at least some marked improvement during this call up.

The Orioles aren't going to easily give up on the potential future star.

However, perceptions about young players can change in a hurry. So if he struggles once again, then there will be real internal questions if Mayo is ever going to become the guy that everyone thought he could be for this franchise.

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