The one position the Rays struggle to fill is catcher. When Blake Snell was traded to the Padres, the Rays received two catchers in return, and one of them will be going head to head with Mike Zunino for the starting role. So here is a little more about the Rays potentially new starting catcher, Francisco Mejía.
Former Top Prospect
A switch hitter, in Triple A Mejía hit well from both sides, with an OPS above 1.000 against right and left handed pitchers. He recorded a 50 game hitting streak, which is the fourth longest in minor league history.
In 2018, Mejía was not only considered a top prospect in Cleveland’s organization, but also the number one catching prospect in baseball. The same year, he was traded to the Padres. Mejía played his longest season at the major league level (79 games) in 2019.
In 2020, he suffered a left thumb contusion, ending his season after playing only 17 games.
Offensive Ability
Mejía was a great hitter in the minors, but hasn’t yet been as productive in the majors. He did relatively well in 2019, hitting .265/.316/.438 (AVG/OBP/SLG). That being said, this was a significant drop from his minor league numbers.
He had a slow start to 2020, hitting .077/.143/.179 in 17 games before heading to the IL. I wouldn’t worry about his 2020 numbers, as the sample is so small it’s not fair to draw conclusions. I believe that once Mejía starts playing consistently, he’ll pick up his productivity.
Offensively, Mejía hasn’t done as well as expected so far. With the Rays’ starting catcher position up for grabs, this year is a great opportunity for him to show his full potential at the plate.
Defensive Ability
Mejía’s defensive ability is average so far at the major league level.
He had a .996 fielding percentage in 2019 and ranked 10th in the league in terms of pop time (time it takes the catcher to get the ball to second base, starting from the second it hits his glove).
Mejía’s arm was given a grade of 70 (20-80 scouting scale), but he’s struggled throwing out runners. He allowed 25 stolen bases in 2019. He does have a few highlights, however, check out this one below:
In terms of pitch framing, Mejía converted 47% of non-swing pitches into called strikes, which is about average for a catcher.
There is definitely room for improvement on the offensive and defensive fronts for Mejía. Think the more promising aspect of his game is his offense, and if things click for him this year, he can become one of the best offensive catchers in the game.