SARASOTA, Fla. — Perhaps no scene from “Moneyball” better encapsulates the perception of first base than when Brad Pitt, playing Athletics general manager Billy Beane, tells Scott Hatteberg that switching positions to first base “is not that hard.”

“It’s incredibly hard,” follows up coach Ron Washington, played by Brent Jennings.

Don’t be mistaken. There might be less range required at first base, but the intricacies of the position aren’t easy to master. And as the Orioles — the real life, non-movie ones — continue to test Coby Mayo at first, the subtleties that make a great fielder over on the right corner of the infield are becoming ever clearer.

The footwork, the instant decisions, the scoops: Mayo is not the wide-eyed prospect he was in 2023, when he was handed a new glove and told to give first base a try at Triple-A Norfolk. But he is still a longtime shortstop-turned-third baseman making the adjustment, and it won’t happen overnight.

Still, last week during spring training, Mayo received his first start at first base in 2025. During the game at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida, Mayo made a play that showed how far he has come. When he saw an offline throw from the left side of the infield head his way, he took his foot off the bag, caught the ball and whipped his arm around for a tag as the runner passed.

He missed the tag, but the play itself — to prevent an error — was noteworthy. And, as Mayo pushes for a place on the Orioles amid a crowded infield, positional flexibility will be a key factor.

“Whenever you can get a bat that has the potential Coby Mayo does, with the versatility to move him around the field and be able to plug him in your best nine every night, I think it’s a big deal,” said Buck Britton, Mayo’s former manager in Norfolk who is now a major league coach.

The largest question surrounding Mayo has been where he can fit in the lineup. There’s little question the Orioles want to fit him in somewhere, at some point, considering the 23-year-old infielder — who primarily plays third — hit .287 with a .926 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in Norfolk last year.

But standing in Mayo’s way are several things. First, in a 17-game sample in the majors last year, he recorded four hits in 46 plate appearances. Next, there’s an entrenched group of infielders at first and third, including Ryan O’Hearn, Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías.

If anything, that’s what makes positional flexibility even more important for Mayo.

“Any time you can be in the lineup, it’s great,” Mayo said. “And, if they want me at third, I can play third. If they want me to play first, I can play first. If it’s DH, I obviously only have to worry about hitting. I think, the last few years, they’ve told me it’s either going to be third or first. ‘We don’t know the perfect place for you long term, but it’s one of those two,’ and I’ve done my best to work as hard as I can, and the coaches have been great helping me.”

In 2023, when Mayo received his first concentrated time at first, the complexity of the position became clear.

On any ground ball to the right side, a first baseman must decide whether to charge it himself or leave it for the second baseman or pitcher. On toss plays, there’s a timing element that differs with each pitcher. And, after Mayo has thrown from third base most of his professional life, throws from first are from a foreign angle.

“Third base and shortstop growing up felt easy for me — or more comfortable, I should say,” Mayo said. “I remember I had some games in 2023, and I didn’t feel so great, just because it was a new position.”

Over the years, Mayo has grown more comfortable. One facet that is transferrable from third base and shortstop is his glovework. The ball comes off the bat at a different angle, but he’s no stranger to ground balls. And, while picking throws is a challenge, short hops are nothing new for a third baseman.

Still, Mayo said, “it’s tough, just because you have such a big responsibility of getting that out. And there are decisions you have to make, and you’re responsible for helping the other infielders out if they make an off throw a little bit or a ball you have to pick. It’s really your responsibility to help them out when you can.”

In camp, and throughout his time in the minors, Mayo has accepted the challenge of learning first base. He was under no illusion that it would be easy, but when it comes to finding a way to break through in Baltimore, he’ll give almost anything a try.

“I think for him, it comes a little more natural because he’s been at third base,” Britton said. “And he’s a big guy, so I know the infielders like having a big target over there.”