Washington Nationals Minor League Player Making Change From Hitter to Pitcher

The Washington Nationals are hoping to be a good team in the near future. In terms of their farm system, though, they have a very interesting prospect.

Erick Mejia started his professional baseball career as a shortstop. He was undersized when he signed as an international player. However, the potential was there, and he threw the ball hard from his position.

The 30-year-old was able to make his way up to the MLB level as a hitter, but he was never able to stick. He has played in 17 Major League games for the Kansas City Royals, but did not find a lot of success. He collected just six hits in 36 at-bats while owning a career OPS of .466.

He was having the same struggles at the plate in the minors, but a blowout game might have just changed his luck.

The Dominican hitter was put in to pitch late in a blowout game last season, and he was up to 90 MPH. Triple-A manager Matthew LeCroy took notice of this, and knew the right-hander had more in the tank.

That summer, Mejia stepped on the bullpen mound and topped out at 96 MPH. It was a little bit wild, but there is no denying his arm talent.

“His arm was easy; the actions were easy. The mechanics were clean. Just everything where it’s like, ‘Wow, this actually could be a reality,’” Farm Director Eddie Longosz told Andrew Golden of the Washington Post.

The Nationals asked Mejia to make the switch to being a full-time pitcher after watching his bullpen. For the former shortstop, this transition was an easy decision.

"... if I need to try something different to keep going, I will do it," Mejia said.

There is a lot to like in his ability to pitch. The right-hander tops out at 98 MPH, and his fastball is averaging 20 inches of induced vertical break. That would put him as one of the top pitchers in the MLB in that category.

It is important to note that Mejia is not particularly close to pitching in live games. Developing offspeed pitching is not an easy thing to do, neither is commanding the zone or learning the nuances that come with taking the mound.

Still, he has an exciting arm, and he could become a top prospect as a pitcher. The learning curve is going to be very tough, but it would still be a fun story if he were to overcome the challenge of becoming a pitcher.

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