Padres to Promote MLB’s Top Catching Prospect Mejía
Credit: AP Photo
After being acquired for Brad Hand and Adam Cimber back in July, Francisco Mejía has been called up by the San Diego Padres as the youth movement continues.
A week ago, the Padres decided to call up their 4th best prospect Luis Urias, giving fans a reason to invest in what has long been a lost season. Today, they have made the decision to call up their 3rd best prospect, Francisco Mejía.
Dennis Lin of the Athletic was the first to report the news of the call up which marks the second time this week a Padres position player prospect has received the call.
Source: The Padres are calling up Francisco Mejía.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) September 4, 2018
Mejía, a 22-year-old switch-hitting catcher, has hit .328/.364/.582 with a 142 wRC+ across 132 plate appearances in Triple-A El Paso. He has also launched seven home runs and posted a .254 ISO over those same 30 games. He also appeared in 79 games for Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, hitting seven home runs and posting a wRC+ of 111.
Ranked as the 21st best prospect in all of baseball, Mejía is also considered to be the top catching prospect across all Major League organizations. He employs a rocket arm behind the dish and has been lauded for his advanced bat-to-ball skills and knack for making consistent, hard contact. Officials believe he has sneaky raw power which comes from his ability to hit the ball hard.
Some scouts believe Mejía might eventually need to move out from behind the plate, citing so-so agility and game-calling skills, but the Padres plan on letting him try to figure things out at the position, according to MLB.com beat writer AJ Cassavell. Ultimately, he may move to the outfield where his bat and rocket arm most definitely play.
Mejía made his MLB debut in 2017 with Cleveland and received a lukewarm cup of coffee, appearing in only 11 games. This season he will be given the chance to seize the catching position from defensive wiz Austin Hedges as the two will split time behind the dish to finish out 2018.
Mejía will make his Padres debut Thursday, September 6th against the Reds in Cincinnati, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune.
“There is room for two back there to be a great baseball team.”
Francisco Mejia and Austin Hedges will split time this month.
Mejia’s first start will be Thursday.https://t.co/tAtoipTaCN— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) September 4, 2018
Mejia's going to play catcher this month. Ultimately, he could be a guy who shifts between catcher and outfield, leaving playing time for both him and Austin Hedges. But he's been a catcher at El Paso, and he'll be a catcher in San Diego for now, too.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) September 4, 2018
Born and raised in Vista, Ryan has been a Padres fan since birth. Currently attending Palomar College, Ryan is trying his hand at expressing his passion for baseball through writing. There is no better life than the baseball life.
good because its getting old watching Hedges not hit. I dont care if Mejia still has work to do defensively. we need people that can actually hit the ball and get on base. good for Hedges that hes hit a few hr’s recently but his stats look too much like Hosmer, Myers, and ten other people and there’s only so much room on a team for below average hitters.