Position: Outfield
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 185lbs
From: Dominican Republic (signed in 2003)
Mesa is toolsy, but old. He’s already 24 years old and is only in AA. Let me rephrase that. He’s LISTED at 24 years old. Sometimes these guys from the DR shave a few years off of their real age to get a more lucrative initial deal. Keep those two things in mind as you read.
Offense: The first thing you’ll notice when watching the right handed Mesa hit is his batting stance. It is a straight up theft of Alfonso Soriano’s stance, and Mesa has a similar offensive skill set. Listed at 165lbs just a year ago, Mesa has good power for his still slight frame. He’s hit 50 extra base hits each of the last 2 years (20 Hrs, 20 doubles, 10 triples). He’d have more of them if he hit the ball more often. Mesa’s eye-hand coordination is not good and he struggles mightily to make contact. He had more strikeouts than hits each of the last two years. He’ll never hit for a high average or get on base more than 33% of the time, just because he swings and misses too often, even when pitches are hittable. Mesa has plus speed.
Defense: A fine defender thanks to his speed and above average arm, Mesa can play any of the three outfield positions and play them well.
Overall, Mesa has enough useful tools that he’ll be a useful MLB bench player (think an extremely poor man’s Chris Young) providing late game defensive upgrade and pinch running value.
No comments:
Post a Comment