Victor Mesa Jr. continuing strong run in first year with Miami Marlins organization
Victor Mesa Jr. is putting himself in position to finish his first professional baseball season in the Miami Marlins organization on a high note.
Mesa, the 17-year-old Cuban outfielder and younger brother of Victor Victor Mesa (in Double A Jacksonville with the Marlins), is riding another strong offensive stretch with the Marlins’ Gulf Coast League affiliate. He enters Monday with hits in eight of his past 10 games and has a .436 batting average (17 for 39) with eight RBI, eight runs scored and three stolen bases in that timeframe.
Mesa hit his first professional home run Saturday and had three consecutive three-hit outings before that.
Overall, it has been a productive first season for Mesa, the Marlins’ No. 28 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline who has typically batted leadoff or second for the Marlins’ rookie league affiliate. Heading into Monday, he leads the GCL with 49 hits, and his 37 runs scored are tied for the league lead. Mesa has recorded multiple hits in 16 of his 43 games this season.
“He has a fluid swing and advanced bat-to-ball skills, leading to optimism that he’ll be a quality hitter,” according to Mesa’s MLBPipeine scouting report. “He shows the ability to backspin the ball, and while most of his present power comes to his pull side, he has the potential to drive the ball to all fields.
“Mesa has average speed and outfield range, so he fits best on a corner. He has solid arm strength and likely will end up in right field. More outgoing than his brother, he’s a brash player who displays plenty of confidence, though his youth means Miami won’t rush him.”
More GCL highlights
▪ Lorenzo Hampton, a former FIU standout who the Marlins selected in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, ranks 12th in the GCL with a .303 batting average. He has recorded at least one hit in 23 of his last 27 games.
▪ Jose Devers, the Marlins’ No. 11 overall prospect, has gone 6 for 20 with one triple, three runs scored in five GCL games while on a rehab assignment. The 19-year-old shortstop acquired in the Giancarlo Stanton trade had not played since May 20 before this while dealing with a forearm strain. Devers was hitting .325 over 32 games with the Class A Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads before the injury.
More notable hitting performances
▪ JJ Bleday, the Marlins’ No. 2 overall prospect and frst-round pick in 2019, is riding a nine-game hitting streak and has hits in 11 of his last 12 games overall with the Hammerheads. The outfielder and former Vanderbilt standout has a .318 batting average with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored over his last dozen games.
▪ First baseman Lewin Diaz, acquired from the Minnesota Twins in the Sergio Romo trade, has now hit seven home runs in 19 games with the Double A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp since joining the Marlins’ organization.
Double A pitching
The Jumbo Shrimp starting rotation, which features four of the Marlins’ top-30 prospects, has dazzled lately.
Sixto Sanchez, the Marlins’ top prospect, has given up just five earned runs over his past seven starts, a run that has also seen him strike out 38 batters while walking just seven over 43 1/3 innings.
Trevor Rogers, the Marlins’ No. 9 prospect who was recently promoted from Jupiter, earned his first win at the Double A level on Saturday after throwing seven shutout innings against the Tennessee Smokies. Rogers, the Marlins’ first-round pick in 2017, struck out 10 while giving up just two hits and one walk in the outing.
Jorge Guzman, the Marlins’ No. 17 prospect, has given up just one earned run and three hits in his past three starts while striking out 23 batters over that 18-inning span.
Edward Cabrera, the Marlins’ No. 7 prospect, has been on the injured list since Aug. 1 but has a 2.23 ERA and is holding opponents to a .192 batting average over 17 starts this year (11 with Jupiter, six with Jacksonville).
Sports Pass for $30 per year
Get unlimited access to all Miami Herald sports stories and videos for $30
