‘Fast Mejia’ Adds Bite To Baseball

Have you ever turned on Animal Planet and sat in awe at how fast a cheetah is? Or stumbled upon Shark Week and can’t even fathom how quick a Great White shoots from the water? When either is on the move, all eyes are on them, waiting for the inevitable teeth to sink in to their prey, after sudden bursts of speed. What if I were to tell you, you can find this same speed, and bite, on a baseball field?

The 21-year-old Gabriel Mejia has become known as “Fast Mejia,” after being ranked by Baseball America as the Indians fastest base runner in their minor league system. He came on to the scene for the Indians in 2013 as a non-drafted free agent from the Dominican Republic. From there he has played in both the Arizona Rookie League and the Dominican Summer League and led both teams in stolen bases (72 DSL in 2014, 34 AZL in 2015). He has sat in the lower minor levels for the Indians for the last three seasons, but has caught the attention of many with his speed both on the base path and in the outfield.

Over the course of his whole 2015 season, he ended up with 40 stolen bases (caught stealing 11 times), 22 walks, 28 strike outs, 9 doubles and a slash line of .344/.410/.393. Mejia was promoted to short season Mahoning Valley for only 16 games that year, getting 9 runs on 17 hits, while stealing 6 times only to be caught once. His speed was obvious from his first game, though it was just as obvious that maybe he was in the state of “smaller fish in a big pond” after being promoted, where he needed more than just speed to help win games.

His speed tool in the field is something he can continue to build on, especially playing center field. His range is astounding, though his arm will hopefully improve. Mejia uses the same tool of having a great eye for the ball, kind of in the way a dog will hone in on a toy and focus directly on that no matter what it was doing, both with his glove, and waiting to steal a base.

His bat is very good, but the power is lacking. Normally, that could be an issue, but he has the ability to create an extra base hit from a single-hit situation. Like another outfielder who I have recently covered, OF Andrew Calica, Mejia creates a situation he knows he and the team can benefit from more times than not. He gets on base however he needs to and gives his offense the best chance at getting a run home, which can add value to him as he moves up. The fact that he is also the lead-off hitter makes this even more valuable. What could be a slight down fall though is the predictability that comes with it. He is known for being light on his feet and pitchers will remember to keep an eye on him. As they get smarter and adjust to him and the threat he presents, I hope he in turn while learn to work around them.

With his first full season with Mahoning Valley, his numbers have tempered a bit, though by any other standard than his he’s still having a great season. This is a result of working on his other tools, and being in batting orders that aren’t completely suited to his speed like they were more so in the AZL. Right now he’s batting a .301 with 15 stolen bases in 22 attempts, 17 walks, 34 strikeouts, and an OBP of .360 in 46 games. I could be wrong (but I don’t think I am), that these numbers reflect partially on the predictability I commented on before, and he is in a period of adjustment.

He continues to stand out, enough to be called upon to play in the 2016 New York Penn League All-Star Game on August 16th, his second all-star appearance of his career already (also 2014 Dominican League All Star).

Gabriel Mejia is a blast to watch. If he’s on base, there’s never a dull moment, and the same can be said for him in the outfield. In Friday’s win on the Williamsport Crosscutters, he added two more stolen bases to his collection of many, and I was left not only waiting to see his at-bats, but what else he might do once on base.

For the future, he could be the conventional lead off that every team expects or be put in the 9 spot, but in a gesture of greatness, just as Kenny Lofton did a few times in his career where he could use his talent of fleet-footedness in an unorthodox way to do what he does best in keeping the defense on their toes. Either way, the kid has a collection of tools that are few, but strong, and after some maturing and a few more seasons under his belt, has every chance at becoming a real asset to any major league team.