Francisco Mejia

Francisco Mejia

29-Year-Old CatcherC
Milwaukee Brewers AAA
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Francisco Mejia in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
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#361
ADP
$Signed a one-year, minor-league contract with the Brewers in April of 2024.
Links up with Milwaukee
CMilwaukee Brewers  AAA
April 5, 2024
Mejia signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Friday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Mejia was cut loose by the Rays at the end of camp but will now receive a look with the Brewers. The 28-year-old will provide catching depth at Triple-A Nashville as prospect Jeferson Quero deals with a shoulder injury.
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Batting Stats
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2023
2022
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2023 MLB Game Log
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+18%
OPS vs LHP
2024
No Stats
2023
 
 
+65%
OPS vs RHP
2022
 
 
+47%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022vs Left .730 118 16 1 15 0 .302 .308 .422
Since 2022vs Right .621 341 38 10 35 0 .214 .246 .375
2024vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Left .433 31 4 0 0 0 .200 .200 .233
2023vs Right .713 129 18 5 19 0 .233 .271 .442
2022vs Left .833 87 12 1 15 0 .337 .345 .488
2022vs Right .566 212 20 5 16 0 .202 .231 .335
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
 
 
+8%
OPS at Home
2024
No Stats
2023
 
 
+17%
OPS on Road
2022
 
 
+22%
OPS at Home
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2022Home .675 211 22 4 26 0 .259 .270 .405
Since 2022Away .627 248 32 7 24 0 .218 .255 .372
2024Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Home .604 77 9 2 10 0 .205 .234 .370
2023Away .709 83 13 3 9 0 .247 .280 .429
2022Home .715 134 13 2 16 0 .288 .291 .424
2022Away .586 165 19 4 15 0 .204 .242 .344
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Prospect Rankings History
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
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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.
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
Cut loose by Tampa Bay
CFree Agent  AAA
March 28, 2024
The Rays released Mejia on Wednesday.
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Doesn't make roster
CTampa Bay Rays  AAA
March 22, 2024
The Rays informed Mejia on Friday that he won't be included on the Opening Day roster, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
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Headed back to Tampa Bay
CTampa Bay Rays  AAA
February 29, 2024
Mejia signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
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Let go by Angels
CFree Agent  AAA
February 25, 2024
The Angels released Mejia on Sunday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
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Signs MiLB deal with Angels
CLos Angeles Angels  AAA
December 22, 2023
Mejia signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Friday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Reunion with Tampa Bay possible
CFree Agent  AAA
February 26, 2024
Mejia has had talks with the Rays about a reunion, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
ANALYSIS
Mejia was released from his minor-league contract with the Angels on Sunday but has already had initial talks with another former club about a deal. Topkin notes that nothing is imminent and Mejia has likely had conversations with other clubs. The Rays could use some catching depth with Rene Pinto expected to start and non-roster invitee Alex Jackson the favorite to back him up.
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