Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | CHW | C/DH | 13 | 40 |
Grades Update: Dec 2020
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 30 | 45 | 30 |
Dec 2020 Report
Evaluator: Justin Lada
Age: 28 yr
Height: 5-11
Weight: 235 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2011 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Thick, beefy build but with plenty of strength. Powerful arms, forearms and big hands. Big throughout frame in chest, mid-section and thighs. Big feet.
Hit: Even, moderate length stance. Crouches over slightly so shoulders sit even with his knees. Heavy leg kick and weight transfer. Quick hands and bat. Wild bat waggle pre-load but quick hands get the bat and barrel through the zone well. Balanced swing despite heavy weight transfer. Cuts down on approach with two strikes with no leg kick but uses strong hands and rotation to drive the ball. Does a good job letting his hips lead his hands. Patient hitter that crushes mistakes and shows good pitch recognition. Grade: 50
Power: Big leg kick and heavy weight transfer. Swings with the intent to hurt baseballs. Strong hands and arms and good attack angles to create loft and backspin. Swing gets grooved at times. Heavy pull side power but can use his hands to drive the ball the other day. Only thing that are better than the tanks he hits are his bat flips. Grade: 60
Field: Switches stances behind the plate. Will set up with right knee back and left knee further out front, and will also use the one leg out stretch setup. Inconsistent receiver at best. Will present well occasionally but often stabs at pitches and lose strikes. Gets crossed up or mishandles pitches often, even on fastballs. Has trouble squeezing breaking balls. Lazy blocker. Prefers to use his glove to block balls in the dirt rather than his body. Essentially an emergency option as a backstop. Grade: 30
Arm: 2.10-2.13 pop time. Above average arm strength but slow transfer and underwhelming footwork. Pure arm strength keeps his arm fringe-average but without it, his arm would be bottom of the scale. Slow mechanics hold him back from showcasing his strong arm consistently. Grade: 45
Run: 4.45 home to first time. Big feet and thick lower half don't give him good strides. Below average runner that won't be a factor on the bases. Hits the ball far so he doesn't have to run. Speed for a DH or catcher without enough quickness to handle work behind the dish. Grade: 30
Overall: Everything about Mercedes is a fun player to know and watch minus his defense and base running. He's got the personality and profile of a fan favorite. He can hit a little, takes big daddy hacks, drop major tanks (and bat flips to go with it) and is reportedly a great dresser and dancer. If he's catching for your team, something bad happened. Evan Gattis type profile with a slightly better hit tool, but trade the wild beard for the clothes, dancing, personality and bat flips.
OFP: 40
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench or Platoon
Risk: Moderate
