Braves Prospect Pitcher Named Southern League All-Star

An Atlanta Braves prospect pitcher managed to earn a minor-league All-Star nod to wrap up the season. Their No. 19 prospect, Ian Mejia, was named to the Double-A Southern League All-Star team. He was named along with three other starting pitchers.

Mejia pitched in 24 games, starting 17 of them for the Columbus Clingstones. He finished the season with a 2.62 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 106 strikeouts in 127 1/3 innings pitched. His ERA was the best he has had at any point in his career at any level to date.

His performance earned him a call up to Triple-A for a single start before heading back to Columbus for the remainder of the season.

Succeeding at the Double-A level is typically considered a major hurdle toward reaching the majors. At the level, hitters become much more disciplined, requiring pitchers to adapt in ways they haven't had to before.

The 25-year-old right-hander was drafted by the Braves in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft and received a signing bonus of $100,000. He bounced around at the college level before finding a home for two seasons at New Mexico State.

A standout pitch in his arsenal is the slider, which is rated a 55 (above average) on the 20-to-80 scale.

"Mejia’s feel for pitching and the ability to mix his offerings to keep hitters off-balance stands out more than any of his pure stuff," his MLB.com prospect report said. "His fastball averaged around 92 mph last year and maxed out at 94 mph. It doesn’t feature a ton of life, but he commands the pitch consistently. His low-80s slider is his go-to pitch, and he threw it almost as much as his heater in 2024, missing bats at a 42-percent clip. His 83-84 mph changeup is a decent third offering and he’s been working on a splitter as well."

His career outlook has him as a backend of a starting rotation, because he is said to lack "wow stuff." However, he's projected to be a big league pitcher soon.

There are a few young arms ahead of Mejia, should the Braves need to call someone up, including JR Ritchie, Didier Fuentes and Blake Burkhalter. While all three are ranked higher, where they specifically rank in the top-30 prospects doesn't have an impact on who is more likely to get the call. These options have more experience in the Triple-A level, making them, in theory, closer to being MLB-ready.

However, pitchers sometimes make the jump. All it could take it being on a nice run and lining up well with a certain spot in the starting rotation in the big leagues.

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