The Keepers - #4 - P - Jenrry Mejia

4.        SP Jenrry Mejia:

Mejia pitched for the 2007 DSL Mets, going 2-3, 2.47 in 14 games (7 starts). He also struck out 47 batters in 43.2 IP.

Mejia's arsenal includes a 91-95 MPH fastball that when low in the zone has tons of movement, sometimes tail and sometimes sink.  This sets up his 77-80 mph hook that drops off the table.

In 2008, Mejia pitched for both the GCL Mets, and Brooklyn, going a combined 5-2, 2.89, in 14 starts. He struck out 67 batters in 71.2 IP.

September 2008:  Brooklyn pitching coach Hector Berrios on:  Jenrry Mejia: “To be here at 18 and playing so well at this level is really impressive. He sits on 94 miles per hour and can get up to 97. He doesn’t quite have the extension of a guy like Holt has, but considering how young he is, I think he has a lot of potential.”

The Cyclones web site said:   The 18-year-old Mejia (6’0”, 182) was signed by the Mets as a non-drafted free agent in 2007, out of the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo).  Mejia began his professional career last season, for the Venezuelan Summer League Mets, going 2-3 with a 2.47 ERA in 14 games (seven starts).  In 43.2 innings, he allowed 24 hits, 17 runs, 12 earned, and 27 walks, with 47 strikeouts.

1-10-10 Forecast: - Everybody loves Jenrry Mejia. He was the talk of the winter leagues, both for his speed and the speed the ball went off opponent’s bats. He still has a long way to go and will start again at AA, but anyone who has spent any time observing him says he’s a can’t miss.  Me?  He’s a closet closer.

5-22-10: - SP Jenrry Mejia: It’s impossible to project Mejia’s future right now because he’s supposed to return to the minors and be stretched out back to a starter. The problem is he’s still sitting in the Queens pen. So far this season: 20 outings, 19.0-IP, 3.79 ERA, 14-K, 11-BB… okay, but not what a 19-year old is supposed to be doing. The good news… he’s an extremely talented young man that should be a Met for a very long time.

6-21-10: - Maybe it took two loses to the Yanks, or maybe somebody finally just hit Jerry in the head, but Jenrry Mejia has been returned to the AA-Binghamton market are put back into the starting rotation. I also understand he will start on Wednesday. All this makes my prediction of Mark Cohoon being promoted from Savannah here a distant long shot, but we’ll see. I still think there’s a good chance that Mike Antonini will move on to Buffalo this month. Right now, the B-Mets rotation (Mejia, Antonini, Eric Niesen, Josh Stinson, and Chris Schwinden) is a pretty good one. And, no AAAA waste here. All pitchers that actually have a chance of getting to the Bigs. Is the Mejia move something that will enhance his value in a trade. I think so, but we’ll see.

6-27-10: - Suffering from a stiff right shoulder, Jenrry Mejia was forced to leave his start for Double-A Binghamton today after just an inning-plus. Mejia faced two batters in the second inning and seven for the game against Akron before departing. He allowed no runs, surrendering two hits and two walks while striking out two. He threw 43 pitches, 23 strikes. The Mets said Mejia was removed for "precautionary" reasons, though certainly this is an alarming development.

6-28-10: - Jenrry Mejia was examined in New York on Monday and diagnosed with a posterior cuff strain in his right shoulder. The Mets say he will return to throwing "as tolerated," but we're not exactly sure what that might mean. Mejia was lifted from a start at Double-A Binghamton on Sunday after complaining of discomfort in his throwing shoulder. He's been working on building up his stamina down in the minors with the hope of returning to the big leagues as a starter around late July

8-2-10:  Mejia’s rehabbing stint made its way to St. Lucie last night and it was quite impressive:  4.0-IP, 1-H, 0-R, 7-K. Mejia’s conversion back to a starter seems to be right on target and I expect him back in the Binghamton rotation by mid-August and on to Queens in September.

8-8-10: - It would be impossible not to write about Mejia’s performance last night. First, the stats: 4.1-IP, 3-H, 0-R, 4-K, 2-BB, 10-GB.  He sat most of the night at 96 and hit 99 once. His seasonal minor league ERA, where he’s been a starter all the time, is now 1.17 (his WHIP is 1.69 due to 6-BB in 7.2-IP). I’m sure we’ll see him in Queens again this year, this time as a starter.

8-14: - Look… if last night’s outing by Jenrry Mejia is the worst he ever pitches, we’ll have ourselves a future HOFer. Mejia went: 5.2-IP, 8-H, 3-ER, 3-BB, 5-K, and his AA-ERA “soared” to 2.70. Reports from the stadium were that he didn’t have the pinpoint accuracy he had his last outing, but the velocity was still there. Mejia is sitting at 96 now, and hit 98 again last night. Remember… the Mets really only need one more SP (Santana, Niese. Pelfrey, Dickey). This sure looks like a strong candidate for 2011 (btw… Mejia threw this game against Michael Cisco, son of ex-Met Galen Cisco).

8-20-10: - We’re running out of superlatives involving Jenrry Mejia’s current return to an SP role in Binghamton. He easily had his best minor league outing on Wednesday night, going 7.0-IP, 1-H, 0-R, 8-K, 2-BB, with a 1.77 ERA. Even more important, Dylan Owen, who seemed lost this year as a starter, seems to be reinventing himself as a successful reliever, going 2.0 hitless innings and lowering his seasonal ERA to 3.57.Okay, Owen’ reliever ERA (4.55) is still higher that the six outings he started (2.70 ERA)… so why the relief role? I’m getting confused. Nack to the main issue… Mejia is game ready which is very good news for the Mets.

2-23-11: - Stock Up: -  SP Jenrry Mejia – I talked with one of the beat guys down in Port St. Lucie and he told me that there are a lot of pitchers that look good right now, but everyone is talking about Mejia. Other Met ballplayers were literally stopping what they were doing and walking over to watch Mejia throw on the back field mounds. My contact said he was easily sitting at 94-95.

3-3-11:  Up:  SP Jenrry Mejia – Through March 3rd, Mejia has had two successful outings and is holding down a 0.00 ERA. Like Ruben Tejada, no one expects Mejia to make the Queens squad on April 1st, but it’s nice to see the kids putting pressure on the rest of the team.

4-8-11: - Up – SP Jenry Mejia –just an  outstanding first outing in 2011. We all knew that he could throw the heat, but it’s his breaking ball and cutter that have become his out pitches. Far less of a 12-6 version. You simply can’t beat velo and sickness, all in the same pitch.

5-2-11: - SP Jenrry Meija was diagnosed today to have a complete MCL tear of the right elbow. Surgery has been recommended though Mejia will first seek a second opinion. This is as bad as it gets for a person like me. Mejia is the top prospect in the system and was scheduled to be the next one up to Queens. Obviously, he is lost for the season and recovery for a TJ surgery like this is usually at least 15 months. It seemed like he was a little lost three outings ago when I watched him pitch on MLB-TV. The sharpness and speed just wasn’t there. There is no announcement yet on who will replace him in the Bisons rotation.

5-3-11: - There’s already discussion in the Mets to take the pressure off of Jenrry Mejia’s eventual return and return him to the bullpen. On paper, this is a good idea. Another thing the Mets need to do is write him off for the entire 2012 season. He will not be able to soft toss until this time next year and that means you have a good 3-4 months rehab after that. The Mets are going to have to create their 2012 rotation without him. Look, let’s turn a real negative into a positive. He may wind up being the next Mets closer.