Failed prospect, backup catcher, he struggles defensively, he isn’t the answer, these are some of the comments that Rays fans heard when we acquired Mejía via trade. It’s fair to say that expectations for him were low, and many anticipated that he’d be very much the backup catcher, having a chance to swing the bat once every series. He, however, had other plans.
The Dominican catcher is off to a hot start in April, assembling an offensive stat line of .323/.353/.516, stealing some at-bats from the starting catcher Mike Zunino. Mejía has shown signs of improvement early in the season, it seems that he is not the same guy that played in Petco park last year.