MJ Melendez
25-Year-Old
2024 Stats
AVG
.000
HR
0
RBI
0
R
0
SB
0
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
Decent start to spring
Melendez has gone 3-for-11 over his first five Cactus League games.
ANALYSIS
Melendez will focus on the outfield in 2024, projecting as the starting left fielder, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Melendez has yet to put all of his tools together over his first two big-league seasons. He's hit 34 home runs and added 118 RBI over 277 contests, but he slashed just .235/.316/.398 last season. While Melendez's spot on the field is secure, any prolonged slump could open the door for Drew Waters -- who can play at all three outfield spots -- to get more of a look.
Melendez will focus on the outfield in 2024, projecting as the starting left fielder, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Melendez has yet to put all of his tools together over his first two big-league seasons. He's hit 34 home runs and added 118 RBI over 277 contests, but he slashed just .235/.316/.398 last season. While Melendez's spot on the field is secure, any prolonged slump could open the door for Drew Waters -- who can play at all three outfield spots -- to get more of a look.
Batting Stats
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2023
2022
Minor League Game Log
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
Even Split
2024
No Stats
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .708 | 270 | 7 | 31 | .255 | ||||
Since 2022vs Right | .710 | 866 | 27 | 87 | .217 | ||||
2024vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2024vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
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 | ||||
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
+10%
OPS at Home
2024
No Stats
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | .743 | 587 | 21 | 75 | .242 | ||||
Since 2022Away | .675 | 549 | 13 | 43 | .210 | ||||
2024Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2024Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
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
0.36BB Rate
10.3%K Rate
28.2%BABIP
.311ISO
.163AVG
.235OBP
.316SLG
.398OPS
.713wOBA
.315Exit Velocity
93.2 mphHard Hit Rate
42.0%Barrels/PA
7.0%Expected BA
.235Expected SLG
.432Sprint Speed
23.2 ft/secGround Ball %
36.0%Line Drive %
20.4%Fly Ball %
43.6%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
Set to play in outfield
Melendez is slated to play primarily in the outfield in 2024, Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star reports.
ANALYSIS
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Homers in Sunday's win
Melendez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
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Sitting versus lefty
Melendez is absent from the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
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Not in lineup Wednesday
Melendez is out of the lineup Wednesday at Detroit.
ANALYSIS
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Out of Sunday's lineup
Melendez isn't starting Sunday against Houston.
ANALYSIS
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