Erick Mejia is beginning a brand new chapter in his 13-year profession, because the longtime infielder is understanding as a pitcher within the Nationals’ spring camp. The Washington Put up’s Andrew Golden writes that Mejia’s newest step was a 25-pitch stay batting apply session in opposition to minor league hitters, and none of Mejia’s pitches had been put into play.
Mejia’s MLB resume consists of 17 video games with the Royals over the 2019-20 seasons. The remainder of his prolonged profession has been spent within the farm methods of Mariners, Dodgers, Royals, and Nationals, and Mejia has hit .264/.333/.387 over 3998 profession plate appearances within the minors.
Washington signed Mejia to a minor league deal in December 2022, and his two seasons within the Nats’ system didn’t result in one other journey again to the Present. He did toss an inning of mop-up work in a blowout of a Triple-A recreation final season, which led to a follow-up bullpen session that noticed Mejia throw off a mound (whereas sporting sneakers) and hit 96 mph on the radar gun. This received the eye of Nationals coaches and officers, and Mejia agreed final September to attempt giving pitching a correct attempt as a brand new profession path.
Golden notes that Mejia has a ton of vertical break on his four-seam fastball, and that pitch has additionally hit the 98mph threshold in subsequent throwing classes. “The primary factor he has is the flexibility to throw the ball superb and to throw it over the plate. The opposite stuff, we are able to work on it,” Triple-A Rochester pitching coach Rafael Chaves stated, describing how Mejia is understandably nonetheless uncooked on the regular mechanics and routine processes that include pitching.
It stays to be seen if this transition will stay simply an experiment, or if Mejia can get into minor league video games and attempt to show himself as a pitcher. Now 30 years outdated, Mejia put the scenario plainly, saying “if I must attempt one thing totally different to maintain going, I’ll do it.” There’s no draw back for the veteran to see if he can translate his arm power and pure velocity right into a pitching profession, and it makes Mejia an attention-grabbing subplot of the Nationals’ camp.
