José Mesa Jr.

José Mesa Jr.
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1993-08-13) August 13, 1993 (age 31)
Miramar, Florida
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

José Ramón Mesa Jr. (born August 13, 1993) is a Dominican-American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.

Career

Mesa attended Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida, beginning in his sophomore year, and played for the school's baseball team.[1] He committed to attend Seminole State Community College.[2]

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees selected Mesa in the 24th round of the 2012 MLB draft.[3] His professional debut was delayed after he underwent Tommy John surgery, and he made his professional debut in 2014 with the Gulf Coast Yankees. In 2015, the Yankees assigned him to the Staten Island Yankees of the Low-A New York–Penn League.[4] On the year, he worked to a 0.42 ERA in 10 appearances for the team, and also logged a 3.97 ERA in 5 games for the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs. In 2016, Mesa logged a 2.97 ERA in 14 games for Charleston, but struggled to an 11.57 ERA in 7 games after he was promoted to the High-A Tampa Yankees. The following season, Mesa split the year between Tampa and the Double-A Trenton Thunder, recording a stellar 1.93 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 84.0 innings of work across 29 total appearances.[5]

On December 14, 2017, Mesa was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2017 Rule 5 draft,[6] and the Orioles had Mesa compete for a position in their starting rotation.[7] The Orioles designated Mesa for assignment when they officially announced the signing of Alex Cobb on March 21, 2018.[8] He returned to the Yankees on March 27.[9] Mesa spent the entirety of 2018 season with Trenton, logging a 5.19 ERA in only 9 games. Mesa returned to Trenton in 2019,[10] and only appeared in 7 games, struggling to a 7.71 ERA before he was released on June 24, 2019.[11]

Kansas City Monarchs

On July 4, 2019, Mesa signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.[12] Mesa made 12 appearances for the team to close out the year, working to a 4.79 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 49.0 innings pitched. Mesa was released by the Monarchs on June 19, 2020,[13] and did not play in professional baseball in the year. On March 9, 2021, Mesa re-signed with the Monarchs for the 2021 season.[14]

Miami Marlins

On April 14, 2021, Mesa left the Monarchs without playing in a game and signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins organization.[15] Mesa split the year between the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, but struggled to a 7.14 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 29.0 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 7.[16]

Charleston Dirty Birds

On March 3, 2022, Mesa signed with the Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.[17] In 11 games (8 starts) for the Dirty Birds, he logged a 4–3 record and 5.14 ERA with 39 strikeouts across 42 innings pitched. Mesa was released by Charleston on August 18.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

On November 28, 2022, Mesa signed with the Guerreros de Oaxaca of the Mexican League.[18] He made 4 starts, posting a 0–3 record with a 9.92 ERA and 8 strikeouts over 16+13 innings. He was released on May 12, 2023.[19]

Rieleros de Aguascalientes

On December 20, 2023, Mesa signed with the Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican League.[20] In 10 appearances for the Rieleros, he logged a 5.91 ERA with 11 strikeouts across 10+23 innings pitched. Mesa was released by Aguascalientes on May 7.[21]

El Águila de Veracruz

On May 16, 2024, Mesa signed with El Águila de Veracruz of the Mexican League.[22] In 13 appearances, he posted a 2–0 record with a 5.79 ERA and 9 strikeouts over 14 innings pitched. On July 5, Mesa was released by Veracruz.[23]

Personal life

Mesa's father, José Mesa, played in Major League Baseball.[24] His older brother, Jesse, also played baseball at Flanagan.[25]

References

  1. ^ "Pitcher Jose Mesa Jr. keeping Flanagan in the win column". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Flanagan's Jose Mesa Jr. on another level – High School Sports Blog". typepad.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  3. ^ "Son of star reliever Jose Mesa falls to Yankees in 24th round of 2012 First-Year Player Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  4. ^ Vargo, John (July 23, 2015). "Mesa Jr. following in father's footsteps". Tribune Chronicle. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "Jose Mesa Jr. Minor, Winter & Independent Leagues Statistics & History".
  6. ^ "Orioles select three players in Rule 5 Draft". Mlb.com. December 14, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  7. ^ Encina, Eduardo A. "Orioles Rule 5 pick José Mesa will compete for starting rotation spot". baltimoresun.com.
  8. ^ Encina, Eduardo A. "Orioles' deal with Cobb official, so when will he be ready?". baltimoresun.com.
  9. ^ "NY Yankees get back Jose Mesa Jr. from Orioles, MLB Rule 5 draft pick". Northjersey.com. March 28, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  10. ^ Franko, Kyle (August 22, 2017). "Behind Jose Mesa Jr., Thunder record franchise record 19th shutout – Trentonian". Trentonian.com. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Yankees Release 14 MiLB Players from their Contracts". June 25, 2019.
  12. ^ "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2019 Transactions".
  13. ^ "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2020 Transactions".
  14. ^ "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2021 Transactions".
  15. ^ "American Association of Professional Baseball - 2021 Transactions".
  16. ^ "2021-22 Minor League Free Agents for All 30 MLB Teams".
  17. ^ "ALBERTO CALLASPO HEADLINES NEXT WAVE OF DIRTY BIRDS ADDED TO THE 2022 ROSTER". Charleston Dirty Birds. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  18. ^ "JOSÉ MESA JR ES EL PRIMER REFUERZO EXTRANJERO PARA EL 2023". guerreros.mx (in Spanish). November 28, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  19. ^ "LMB: Movimientos en listas de reserva - 12 de mayo de 2023". MiLB.com (in Spanish). May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  20. ^ "LMB: Movimientos en listas de reserva - 20 de diciembre de 2023". milb.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  21. ^ "LMB: Movimientos en listas de reserva - 7 de mayo de 2024". milb.com. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "LMB: Movimientos en listas de reserva - 16 de mayo de 2024". milb.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  23. ^ @elaguilabeisbol (July 5, 2024). "Les informamos que han causado baja del equipo José Mesa Jr, Manuel Rondón y Malquin Canelo. Gracias por su esfuerzo en los juegos de El Glorioso, mucho éxito en su futuro" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Twitter.
  24. ^ "Jose Mesa Jr. lives up to family name, dominates Florida prep foes from the mound". Yahoo! Sports. May 8, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  25. ^ "Flanagan pitcher Jose Mesa Jr. takes after his major-league dad". Sun-Sentinel. March 3, 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.