1. Victor Mesa
Birthday: 7/20/1996 (22)
Acquired: International free agent, October 2017
Level(s): None
Statistics: None
Considered the top Cuban prospect available, Victor Mesa, aka Victor Victor, was signed by the Miami Marlins in October along with his brother.
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Mesa is an elite defender in center field that will be his carrying tool immediately as he comes to the Marlins system. He has excellent instincts in center field and has a plus arm to pair with those instincts.
At the plate, Mesa has flashed power at times, but his swing doesn’t exactly portend consistent over-the-fence power, more likely leading to plenty of doubles and triples with his plus to plus-plus speed.
How Mesa’s eye translates to the states will determine how fast he moves to the major leagues. He has shown good contact ability in Cuba and in international competition, and if he could show similar ability with the bat along with his speed on the bases, he would plug in well at the top of the lineup for the Marlins.
Most likely, barring a tremendous spring training, Mesa will open in AAA in 2019, but he could be playing in Miami by the end of the season.
The signing of the Mesa brothers is a big coup for the Miami Marlins, but they will need to see more production from their farm system to return to competitiveness in the near future.