Melky Mesa FSL Player Of The Year
Via MiLB.com -
The Tampa Yankees have the best record in the Florida State League, and their center fielder, Melky Mesa, has been rewarded for personal and team success with the FSL Postseason Player of the Year Award, which was announced Tuesday.
Mesa has been slugging for the Yankees all season and sits second in the FSL in home runs (19) and slugging percentage (.475) and third in RBIs (74). The 23-year-old is not all brawn either, as he is fifth in the league with 31 stolen bases and third in triples with nine. Mesa’s play has the Yankees on the cusp of clinching the FSL North’s second-half title and the postseason berth that goes with it.
Here are Mesa’s minor league numbers to date:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | G | PA | R | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 19 | Yankees | GULF | Rk | 40 | 159 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 45 | .207 | .266 | .345 |
| 2007 | 20 | Yankees | GULF | Rk | 49 | 169 | 27 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 55 | .235 | .293 | .386 |
| 2008 | 21 | Staten Island | NYPL | A- | 46 | 128 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 38 | .221 | .252 | .467 |
| 2009 | 22 | Charleston | SALL | A | 133 | 564 | 76 | 24 | 7 | 20 | 74 | 18 | 6 | 51 | 168 | .225 | .309 | .423 |
| 2010 | 23 | Tampa | FLOR | A+ | 121 | 507 | 81 | 21 | 9 | 19 | 74 | 31 | 9 | 44 | 129 | .260 | .338 | .475 |
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We probably have another three years, at the least, before we can start to re-cycle those “Got Melk?” T-Shirts in Yankeeland. Maybe longer…if ever? Still, for the moment, it’s a nice achievement by the kid.
I don’t think he’s really a prospect, actually. A 23-yr old in the FSL? .260 BAVG? 1 K every 4 AB? 3 to 1 K/BB ratio. The slugging is nice for the league, and he’s supposedly a good defender.
You might be looking at Gerald Williams II, if the Yanks are lucky.
@ Evan3457:
Agreed. He’s touted as a big swinging guy with some pop and a strong arm in the OF but probably not much of a prospect beyond an outside shot at being a journeyman later on in his career.
Nevertheless, that makes it two consecutive seasons that a member of the Tampa Yanks has won the FSL MVP as Austin Romine took the honors in 2009.
Hey, Cano is a better player in the majors than he was in the minors, no?
[he says, flashing the devil's grin]
No faith in the (New) Melk Man
Steve Lombardi wrote:
True, but Cano left the FSL behind @ 20