Francisco Mejia

27-Year-Old CatcherC

Tampa Bay Rays

2023 Stats

AVG

.213

RBI

Rest-of-Season Projections

AVG

RBI

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2023 Fantasy Outlook

Mejia has never seen a pitch he has not liked and it has taken many liberties trying to write checks that his bat cannot cash at the plate. For all his hitting pedigree coming up through the minor leagues, he has been a below-average offensive catcher who hunts for fastballs early and often, and the approach left him quite succeptible to offspeed stuff this past season. The switch hitting catcher hits for average from the right side and the homers come from the left at the cost of aggressive swinging and contact issues. If he could give up on hitting homers and use the approach he has had from the right side of the plate, he could be something. Instead, he has shown little signs of changing and while the free agency status of Mike Zunino opens up a chance, the late season acquisition of Christian Bethancourt is a big roadblock as the latter is the better defender and his bat has more upside in it assuming the club does not make another move at catcher this winter. Read Past Outlooks

RANKSFrom Preseason

#510

ADP

Overall

League Majors

Bats B

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 5'8"

Weight 188

DOB 10/27/1995

Born Bani, DR

College None

Drafted 2012 CLE

Pops first homer

CTampa Bay Rays

April 29, 2023

Mejia went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Saturday's 12-3 victory over the White Sox.

ANALYSIS
Mejia missed out on the fun in the Rays' 10-run seventh inning, but he still hit a solo shot in the eighth inning. It was Mejia's first hit since April 18, ending an 0-for-12 stretch. The catcher is slashing .200/.260/.311 while sharing duties behind the plate with Christian Bethancourt.

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Batting Stats

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2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown

vs Right-Handed Pitchers

vs RHP

vs Left-Handed Pitchers

vs LHP

Left/Right Batting Splits

Since 2021

+18%

OPS vs LHP

2023

+55%

OPS vs RHP

2022

+47%

OPS vs LHP

2021

+2%

OPS vs LHP

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2021vs Left	.751	222	30	4	25	0	.294	.329	.422
Since 2021vs Right	.634	451	48	9	47	0	.221	.267	.367
2023vs Left	.400	20	4	0	0	0	.200	.200	.200
2023vs Right	.621	77	11	1	6	0	.217	.273	.348
2022vs Left	.833	87	12	1	15	0	.337	.345	.488
2022vs Right	.566	212	20	5	16	0	.202	.231	.335
2021vs Left	.749	115	14	3	10	0	.276	.339	.410
2021vs Right	.731	162	17	3	25	0	.248	.311	.421
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Batting Splits

Since 2021

+5%

OPS at Home

2023

+33%

OPS on Road

2022

+22%

OPS at Home

2021

+2%

OPS on Road

	OPS	PA	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Since 2021Home	.689	318	35	4	37	0	.263	.296	.393
Since 2021Away	.658	355	43	9	35	0	.229	.280	.378
2023Home	.491	49	6	0	3	0	.178	.224	.267
2023Away	.655	48	9	1	3	0	.250	.292	.364
2022Home	.715	134	13	2	16	0	.288	.291	.424
2022Away	.586	165	19	4	15	0	.204	.242	.344
2021Home	.732	135	16	2	18	0	.268	.326	.407
2021Away	.744	142	15	4	17	0	.252	.319	.425
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Stat Review

How does Francisco Mejia compare to other hitters?

This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

BB/K
Walk to strikeout ratio
BB Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
K Rate
The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
BABIP
Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
ISO
Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
AVG
Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
OBP
On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
SLG
Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
OPS
On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
wOBA
Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
Exit Velocity
The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
Hard Hit Rate
A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
Barrels/PA
The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
Expected BA
Expected Batting Average.
Expected SLG
Expected Slugging Percentage.
Sprint Speed
The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
Ground Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
Line Drive %
The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
Fly Ball %
The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.

BB/K

0.25

BB Rate

6.2%

K Rate

24.7%

BABIP

.273

ISO

.101

AVG

.213

OBP

.258

SLG

.315

OPS

.572

wOBA

.253

Exit Velocity

87.3 mph

Hard Hit Rate

28.4%

Barrels/PA

1.0%

Expected BA

.191

Expected SLG

.280

Sprint Speed

22.6 ft/sec

Ground Ball %

37.3%

Line Drive %

20.9%

Fly Ball %

41.8%

Prospect Rankings History

View Complete Francisco Mejia Prospect Ranking History

Advanced Batting Stats

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Additional Stats

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Defensive Stats

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Batted Ball Stats

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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers

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93 days ago

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

Mejia is now with his third organization in four seasons, and it's clear he has the ceiling of a second catcher for a first-division club. Mejia has shown the ability to hit for average as a switch hitter, but the power has not yet made a consistent appearance which is why clubs are hoping he gets better defensively because the bat does not profile well as a cornerman. His defensive skills behind the plate are about league average, but at a time when clubs value pitch framing, it is the worst of the skills Mejia has behind the plate. It is why Tampa Bay exercised its option with Mike Zunino as Zunino does extremely well in this area. Mejia and Zunino have a symbiotic relationship as many believed Zunino had the season he did at the plate because Mejia's presence allowed Zunino to rest more frequently. Expect Mejia to continue to start 2-3 times a week depending on matchups in 2022.

Mejia was supposed to be one of the next wave of catchers who could hit, but we are still waiting to see that at the major-league level. He has still yet to eclipse the 400 PA mark for his career, and owns a .225/.282/.386 slash line with a 24.0 K% over parts of four major-league seasons between his time in Cleveland and San Diego. This past season was one to forget for Mejia as he was relegated to a reserve role following the addition of Austin Nola, hit like a pitcher when he was at the plate and was ultimately dropped from the active roster Sept. 19. His average exit velocity fell from 89 mph to 82 mph last season, and he lacks the speed to turn that type of contact into a hit. He was a throw-in for the Rays in the Blake Snell trade, and given how much Tampa values pitch framing, he probably won't get enough plate appearances to be viable in fantasy until MLB institutes robo umpires.

Mejia still has a fair amount of his shine despite a 2018 trade from Cleveland and a finish outside the top 35 at the catcher position in 2019. The main reason he didn't earn more value was a lack of playing time, as he spent time in the minors, on the IL with knee and oblique issues and split duties with Austin Hedges when active. When on the field in 2019, Mejia was close to a league average offensive rate contributor. He was especially hot coming out of the break, slashing .309/.361/.527 over a 37-game stretch before the oblique injury popped up. We had seen a similarly torrid stretch from Mejia in September of 2018, and the next step will hopefully be finding a greater level of consistency and staying healthy for a prolonged stretch in 2020. He has a track record of posting K-rates in the teens in the minors, and even with Hedges still in town, Mejia could sneak into the C1 discussion.

Mejia remains a polarizing player for prospect evaluators. Most of the contention boils down to this: a disagreement as to whether or not Mejia can stick behind the plate. His bat should play anywhere on the field -- he's been well above league average with the bat at pretty much every stop -- but the bat would be far less exciting from a fantasy perspective at third base or a corner outfield spot than it would be at catcher. After arriving to the Pacific Coast League following a July trade from Cleveland, Mejia flexed with a .328/.364/.582 line. Mejia's K-rate jumped to 32.8% in his brief major-league sample with San Diego late in the year (58 PA), but he has a track record of posting marks in the mid-to-high-teens, so the bat-to-ball ability is not a huge concern. The Padres seem intent on giving Mejia every chance to stick at catcher, but remember Austin Hedges is there too. It's no lock that Mejia will even be the primary guy to start the season.

For the second year in a row, Mejia enters the year as the top catching prospect in baseball, according to the majority of outlets. He once again displayed excellent contact skills -- his strikeout rate in the minors has never been higher than 17.5 percent -- while posting his highest ISO (.193) since rookie ball. The overall offensive package could be very similar to prime Jonathan Lucroy. A decade ago, he would have been a cinch to stick behind the plate, but in this era of heightened importance on catcher defense, his shaky receiving and below-average pitch framing led to him getting assigned to the Arizona Fall League as a third baseman. He is listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, but is probably closer to 5-foot-9, which is why second base might actually make the most long-term sense, especially considering he might not have enough power for third base. So much of his long-term value is tied to him qualifying at catcher, and that is looking less and less likely.

The national spotlight was shown on Mejia when his hitting streak reached historic proportions (50 games) and he was brought up in reports of the nixed Jonathan Lucroy trade. Overall, Mejia hit for an .896 OPS between Low-A Lake County and High-A Lynchburg as a 20-year-old, establishing himself as one the top hitting catchers in the minor leagues. He put bat to ball with great consistency, striking out just 63 times in 443 plate appearances while flashing notable power. There are some growing concerns about his ability to stick behind the plate long-term, and while his bat would probably play at first base, his long-term keeper league appeal is tied closely with his current positional eligibility. If he sticks at catcher, he could eventually be a top-five fantasy option at the position.

Mejia’s tools remain in front of his production, but it is hard to hold that against him after he held his own over a full season as a 19-year-old at Low-A. In 109 games in the Midwest League the switch-hitting Dominican catcher belted nine home runs with four steals and a .243/.324/.345 slash line that was hampered slightly by a .281 BABIP. Considering how rare it is for a catcher to hit for a high average in the big leagues, the fact that Mejia probably projects to be a .240-.250 hitter is not a major issue. He could offer above average power thanks to quick-twitch reflexes, and he certainly has the arm to stick behind the plate. However, Mejia remains on a very slow track to the big leagues, and it could take him a couple seasons in the majors before he starts to tap into his potential at the plate, so the lead time is extreme.

More Fantasy News

Four hits in win

CTampa Bay Rays

April 18, 2023

Mejia went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's victory over the Reds.