Jenrry Mejia could be KROD's setup man.
Coach Jerry Manuel has gotten his wish. Jenrry Mejia will remain in spring training and work exclusively as a reliever. The 20-year-old has thrown 5 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just two hits. Both Manuel and Darryl Strawberry have already compared Mejia to cross-town legend Mariano Rivera.
“I played with Mariano Rivera, I saw it up close,” Strawberry said. “I know what his cutter looked like and I’m telling you, I haven’t seen a pitch move like his, with that kind of velocity, until I saw this kid Mejia.”
Baseball America rates Mejia as the number one prospect in the Mets’ system. The young hurler was being groomed as a starter, then Kelvim Escobar injured himself again and Jerry Manuel realized that he can’t rely on Bobby Parnell to set up KROD. If Mejia continues to be unhittable, he gives the Mets the best chance to win.
Keeper league owners should be all over Mejia. If he breaks with the Mets and begins the season in the bullpen, that creates nice RP eligibility going forward. Just remember that he’s only 20, and has had two spring appearances so far. It is very early, and he holds an 0-5 with a 4.47 ERA in his only 10 games above Single-A.
If he forces the Mets’ hand and makes the squad, perhaps he starts the season as a reliever and transitions to starter like Francisco Liriano in 2006. There’s definitely huge upside here — Mejia is in good company, think Liriano and Neftali Feliz.
