February 19, 2020

As recently as 2018, Francisco Mejia was thought of as one of the best prospects in baseball. Now, just two years later, the sheen has worn off, and people are wondering if he can be a starting catcher in the league. 2019 wasn't that bad of a season for Mejia, but it was just bad enough to drop him under everyone's radar. He had an underwhelming slash line (.265/.316/.438) but finished with a reasonable 98 OPS+. His counting stats were also low, but he split time all year with defensive whiz Austin Hedges. Mejia will be a useful fantasy catcher if he can play more than half the season. His ability to see the field thus comes down to things besides his bat. Last year, Mejia was one of the poorer framers in the game according to Baseball Savant, ranking in the 31st percentile. He may be a major supporter of eventual automated strike calling, but for now, he'll have to learn to frame better or continue to lose playing time to Hedges. For comparison, the hitting averse Hedges ranks in the 96th percentile in pop time and the 100th percentile in framing. In other words, he's roughly the best defensive catcher in baseball. But Mejia has work to do with his bat as well. He needs to cut down on his 45.6 percent chase rate and 23 percent K rate. Currently going as the 14th catcher off the board, Mejia is a bit of a reach at pick 234. There are more proven players with similar playing-time concerns available later.--Todd Salem