Royals’ MJ Melendez, in first taste of majors, takes advantage of Sal Perez’s presence
An injury sped up highly touted catcher MJ Melendez’s ascension to the majors for the Kansas City Royals. After all, Melendez would likely still be gaining experience in Triple-A had backup catcher Cam Gallagher not suffered a hamstring strain that landed him on the injured list.
But Melendez, ranked among the Top 50 prospects in the minors by Baseball America, is doing more than simply getting his feet wet in the big leagues.
He has been thrown into the fire alongside seven-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner Salvador Perez as the shepherds of the Royals’ pitching staff.
Melendez has plenty of familiarity with the pitching staff after having been a regular at big-league camp going back to 2019 and having come up in the Royals’ system with many of the young pitchers. But he’ll still have to work through the typical newcomer learning curve of adjusting to big-league pitching on top of handling all his responsibilities as a catcher.
Of course, he’s also taking advantage of a valuable resource.
“Salvy helps me every day,” Melendez said. “Whether it’s game calling, getting a plan, how to work the game, the pace of the game, at-bats, defense, everything. Being able to have somebody like him to be able to lean on, he’s been there and he’s been through just about every stage in the big leagues that you could possibly get to.
“Being able to lean on him has really helped. I’m really looking forward to just continuing to do that.”
Melendez, 23, hadn’t even put on a big-league uniform for a regular season game before he arrived in St. Louis on May 2.
He made his third start in Monday’s series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. He went 1 for 3 at the plate with a walk.
In his first 12 at-bats in the majors, Melendez recorded four hits, including one double, and had as many walks as strikeouts (two each).
“I feel really good, I feel like I’m seeing the ball well,” Melendez said after Sunday’s game. “My thing is just staying on time. Being able to kind of look back and my at-bats and seeing if I’m on time or not, I know that’s the key for me. As long as I can get my foot up and down before a pitch gets there, I feel really comfortable.”
A potential impact bat
Last year’s Joe Bauman Award winner as Minor League Baseball’s home run leader, Melendez continued to refine his offensive approach against top-level pitching and also worked to hone his considerable athleticism into positional versatility.
Royals outfield guru Rusty Kuntz tutored Melendez and first baseman Nick Pratto on the fundamentals of outfield play. Melendez had already logged time at third base last season as well as during major-league spring training.
The outfield exposure served multiple purposes. It allowed Melendez to get everyday at-bats even if while getting a day off from his catching duties, and it also allowed him to get comfortable playing other positions that might help get his bat in the lineup at the major-league level.
From April 5 through May 1 in the minors, Melendez played 21 games. Perez’s presence will prevent him from taking on the bulk of the catching duties while in the majors, but Melendez has repeatedly said he’s open to playing wherever he’s needed in the field.
“It’s definitely just a little bit of a change, but I love it and I’m here to embrace it everyday,” Melendez said. “Just going out and seeing what I can do to try to help the team and get better each and every day.”
He enjoyed a resurgent offensive season in 2021. He slashed .288/.386/.625 and smashed 41 home runs in 123 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021.
In some regards, Melendez had an even better statistical season than the Royals’ top prospect and Minor League Player of the Year Bobby Witt Jr. Melendez registered a higher OPS (1.011 to .936) and a lower strikeout rate while hitting more home runs (41 to 33) and collecting more RBIs (103 to 97).
Upon his arrival in the majors last week, it wasn’t immediately clear how the Royals would get Melendez regular at-bats in the backup catcher’s role.
But injuries have seemingly created the potential for more playing time as the Royals have placed first baseman Carlos Santana and outfielder Edward Olivares on the IL since Melendez’s arrival.
Melendez’s left-handed bat could give the Royals options as a designated hitter, bat off the bench or possibly in the outfield.
The Royals have added a third catcher to the roster in Sebastian Rivero, which gives the club a safeguard against injury when both Melendez and Perez are in the lineup at the same time.
A two-way player
Melendez isn’t just an offensive weapon. In 2019, Melendez was the organization’s Frank White Defensive Player of the Year. Baseball America ranked him the best defensive catcher in the Royals’ farm system in 2020 and 2021.
But Melendez’s first taste of the majors hasn’t come without hiccups behind the plate.
On Sunday, a passed ball contributed to a three-run inning for Daniel Lynch after a mishap with the PitchCom system created a moment of doubt in Melendez’s mind.
On Monday, he rushed a throw to second base and also committed a throwing error on a stolen base that led to a run scored when pitcher Carlos Hernández ran into trouble.
It’s all part of his growth process.
“We’re always learning, improving, trying to get better each and every day,” Melendez said.
This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 10:48 AM.
