The Washington Nationals are back to making moves on the free agency front. In the midst of a very busy offseason which has included hiring a new President of Baseball Operations in Paul Toboni and a new skipper in Blake Butera, both of whom are the youngest in their respective positions, the Nationals are continuing to make acquisitions.
This one is a very interesting one, as it is a player who is already familiar with the organization as a whole, and he will now look to continue his journey to the big leagues under the guise of new leadership and player development. The journey has been an interesting one to follow for minor leaguer Erick Mejia, but he is now back in the Nationals organization.
In case you are unfamiliar with Mejia, he was originally an infielder who first broke into the stateside professional ranks back in 2012 with the Seattle Mariners, before bouncing for a few more organizations throughout his journey up through the minor leagues. He eventually got his chance to become a big leaguer back in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals, although he appeared sparingly.
As of now, Mejia has still only appeared in 17 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons at the big-league level, and slashed .167/.244/.222 with a .466 OPS. After finishing 1/14 in 8 separate games in the 2020 season, Mejia found himself over in the minors with the Seattle Mariners organization, before making his way over to the Nationals' organization.
He then began a late-career transition to become a pitcher, and has actually progressed quite well to become a big leaguer on the mound. It would be a legitimately incredible feat if Mejia was to actually be a major league player as both a pitcher and fielder, but he is on the verge of doing so as of right now.
Mejia began the season with Low-A Fredericksburg but found his way all the way up to AAA Rochester by the end of the season, posting a cumulative 4.59 ERA and 1.388 WHIP across 45 games between the 3 levels. Additionally, he even notched a couple saves down in Fredericksburg, showcasing his potential versatility as a late-inning option.
With Mejia on the cusp of returning to the big leagues as a pitcher, he could have a chance to crack into the Nationals' bullpen by the end of the season if he is able to get off to a hot start in the minors. What once seemed like a longshot for Mejia is now almost a reality.
What do you think of Erick Mejia's return to the Nationals? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.