MJ Melendez
25-Year-Old
2024 Stats
AVG
.206
HR
17
RBI
44
R
44
SB
4
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
At best, you could say Melendez stagnated from his first to second season. At worst, you could say he slipped a bit, as a drop in OPS+ from 99 to 95 and a rise in strikeout rate from 24.5 percent to 28.2 percent can attest. If you're looking for a silver lining, it's that Melendez still hit the ball very hard when he made contact, boasting an average exit velocity in the 96th percentile and a barrel rate in the 75th percentile. He's also a flyball hitter and a pull hitter, things that, when combined with his quality of contact, make it curious as to how his home run total dropped. There could still be some untapped potential with Melendez, and he did finish with an .861 OPS and eight homers over the final two months. The team and ballpark context are poor, though, and he's losing catcher eligibility. Read Past Outlooks
Sitting out Game 2 versus lefty
Melendez is absent from the lineup Monday in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
It's southpaw Carlos Rodon on the hill for the Yankees, so the left-handed-hitting Melendez will begin the festivities on the bench. Tommy Pham will be in left field and batting seventh for the Royals, while Hunter Renfroe will handle right and hit eighth.
It's southpaw Carlos Rodon on the hill for the Yankees, so the left-handed-hitting Melendez will begin the festivities on the bench. Tommy Pham will be in left field and batting seventh for the Royals, while Hunter Renfroe will handle right and hit eighth.
Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
6
41
27
33
2
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
5
2
1
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
+12%
OPS vs RHP
2024
+85%
OPS vs RHP
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .638 | 344 | 7 | 35 | .234 | ||||
Since 2022vs Right | .717 | 1242 | 44 | 127 | .217 | ||||
2024vs Left | .395 | 74 | 0 | 4 | .164 | ||||
2024vs Right | .732 | 376 | 17 | 40 | .215 | ||||
2023vs Left | .597 | 144 | 3 | 17 | .222 | ||||
2023vs Right | .751 | 458 | 13 | 39 | .239 | ||||
2022vs Left | .839 | 126 | 4 | 14 | .295 | ||||
2022vs Right | .664 | 408 | 14 | 48 | .193 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
+13%
OPS at Home
2024
+21%
OPS at Home
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | .742 | 808 | 29 | 99 | .241 | ||||
Since 2022Away | .656 | 778 | 22 | 63 | .200 | ||||
2024Home | .739 | 221 | 8 | 24 | .238 | ||||
2024Away | .611 | 229 | 9 | 20 | .176 | ||||
2023Home | .756 | 317 | 10 | 34 | .253 | ||||
2023Away | .667 | 285 | 6 | 22 | .215 | ||||
2022Home | .727 | 270 | 11 | 41 | .229 | ||||
2022Away | .684 | 264 | 7 | 21 | .205 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does MJ Melendez 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.
* 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
0.31BB Rate
7.8%K Rate
25.1%BABIP
.241ISO
.194AVG
.206OBP
.273SLG
.400OPS
.674wOBA
.296Exit Velocity
91.1 mphHard Hit Rate
36.1%Barrels/PA
5.6%Expected BA
.240Expected SLG
.430Sprint Speed
23.9 ft/secGround Ball %
42.1%Line Drive %
16.7%Fly Ball %
41.1%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2019
Melendez gets a passing grade, offensively. As a 23-year-old rookie, he popped 18 home runs and drew 66 walks in 534 plate appearances, putting him roughly league average by wRC+. It's defensively where the questions come up. Melendez struggled behind the plate both defensively (-18 DRS) and with pitch framing. Salvador Perez is still locked in as the near-everyday catcher when healthy, so Melendez will likely see most of his time in the outfield to begin 2023. He's not a finished product with the bat, but the 2021 minor-league home run leader clears the bar in two-catcher leagues. The defensive questions leave open some playing-time downside, but the rebuilding Royals would be wise to live with his limitations and hand Melendez 500-plus PA again to evaluate his progress against big-league pitching.
More Fantasy News
Out again versus lefty
Melendez is absent from the lineup for Friday's game in Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
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Sitting versus lefty
Melendez is absent from the lineup for Thursday's contest against the Nationals.
ANALYSIS
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Not in lineup against lefty
Melendez is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game versus the Nationals.
ANALYSIS
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Sitting versus southpaw
Melendez is not in the lineup for Sunday's contest against the Giants.
ANALYSIS
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Getting night off
Melendez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Punishing baseballs
Melendez leads the league with an average exit velocity of 96.2 mph.
ANALYSIS
Melendez is slashing just .178/.282/.342 through 90 plate appearances, but when he's making contact he's among the most dangerous young hitters in baseball. Melendez supplied 18 homers last season and is an intriguing buy-low in deeper leagues and keeper formats.
Melendez is slashing just .178/.282/.342 through 90 plate appearances, but when he's making contact he's among the most dangerous young hitters in baseball. Melendez supplied 18 homers last season and is an intriguing buy-low in deeper leagues and keeper formats.